Library Thing

Some time back, I was informed of a site which enables readers everywhere to discuss their favorite books. I’m glad I took part in it and apologize for not sharing it sooner. It’s located at www.librarything.com and it’s called, well, Library Thing. Subscribers can catalog their favorite books (or some they don’t like), write their own reviews, view other users’ reviews, participate in discussion groups and many other fun features.

Joining is free, however there is availability for annual or lifetime memberships. The only difference between paid and non paid that I can see is in the ability to catalog an unlimited number of books in the former.

Hope to share some online discussions with some of you soon…and I promise to keep the “flaming” down to a minimum!

Rob McGrory

Magazine articles delivered to you

WorldCat.org, the place to search library collections worldwide, will now find you results from GPO (Government publications) ArticleFirst (articles from magazines), Medline (health information) and ERIC (educational materials.) Now you will find article citations as well as relevant WorldCat records for books, audio and video recordings, and other content formats.
Visit WorldCat.org and try a search to locate articles on a favorite subject. Hint: Limit your search results to just articles by using the “Refine Your Search” feature—just click the “Article” link under the “Format” heading.

Learn English Online

We’ve recently added Rosetta Stone Online to our Internet-based database collection. Rosetta Stone–the world’s leading language-learning software–allows our patrons to learn English at their convenience from anywhere with an Internet connection. Visit the Reference area of our homepage and scroll down to find Rosetta Stone. You will need to create a user name and password and log in with your library card barcode to get started.

The bliss of books, and other ideas

“My guess is (it will be) about 300 years until computers are as good as, say, your local reference library in search. “Craig Silverstein, director of technology, Google.com

You can find more quotes about libraries at:
I Love Libraries

We love you, too.

Learning foreign languages

Okay, I admit it; when it comes to learning a foreign language it wouldn’t be unfair to accuse me of being somewhat lazy. During my high school years, I scraped by in Spanish and ventured only one semester of French as an undergraduate. On my honeymoon this summer, we’re going to France and the Czech Republic. When expressing to friends and acquaintances my concern over language barriers, they give a wave of the hand and say, “Oh they speak English everywhere!” Yes that’s true, but we Americans are smart enough to learn a few phrases here and there, no?

I’ve been dabbling with the ROSETTA STONE LANGUAGE LIBRARY. It’s a CD-ROM program and it uses pictures and audio to teach common phrases. It reverts back to a Sesame Street or Electric Company method to teaching.   Now, there are a few pros and cons as should be expected with any technological devices.

Firstly, it is not cheap! In fact, each level costs over $200. Secondly, there is no English translation provided so one just assumes that “Die Katze ist schwarze” means “The cat is black” since there is a corresponding picture. One might assume that since the cat is climbing a tree, the phrase translates into: “The cat climbs.”

So, how to avoid the cost and ambiguity pitfalls? Of course, you can take a copy of the program out at your library. Plan to wait, however, as there are quite a few people who have them on hold. You can also go to the New York Public Library’s website and apply for a NYPL card which allows you access to a smaller version of the program. ANY NEW YORK STATE RESIDENT is eligible to get a card! And as far as translating what the phrases literally mean, go to a translation site. Google and Altavista have terrific translation sites. Buona Fortuna!

Rob McGrory