At the Nashua Public Library, we group some of our fiction by genre. As the map demonstrates, you will find science fiction/fantasy in alcoves in the back of the library; Christian fiction in an alcove to the left of the teen room; mysteries in the stacks to the left of the teen room, followed by westerns; and historical fiction...all over the place. We don't have a special section for historical fiction. How then, will you find that novel set during the Civil War or the Middle Ages?

Unless you have a particular author in mind, the easiest way to find historical fiction is to search the online catalog. You can do this from the comfort of your home or on the computers near the paperback fiction. If you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind browsing close to 2000 titles, do a general keyword search for "historical fiction." Because that list is overwhelming, I find it easier to pinpoint a specific era or country that interests me. I can do a subject browse and add the word "fiction" to my search. For example, if I want to read a book set in Italy, I would enter "Italy History Fiction" or something like "Italy History 17th Century Fiction" in the subject browse field. To find stories that take place during the American Revolution, I would type "United States History Revolution 1775-1783 fiction." I admit, this example is long and not very intuitive, and you may not know the proper subject heading (for more on subject headings, click here) for your historical event of choice. If you have trouble with the subject browse, try the subject keyword search. The keyword search does not use a controlled vocabulary, so it is more forgiving when you simply type "American Revolution fiction." When you find an interesting title, check the subject headings. Clicking on the appropriate subject heading will bring you to a list where you will see that the library has 88 books classified as "United States History Revolution 1775-1783 fiction. The list is still long, but more manageable. Now, you can peruse the results and select a book.

Although most historical fiction will be in the Adult Fiction stacks, some books are elsewhere, so be sure to take a look at the collection. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask!

Fans of irreverent humor, celebrate! Today is the 60th birthday of writer and wise guy Dave Barry. According to Dave Barry's own web site, "In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Many people are still trying to figure out how this happened." It's comments like that that make me snort and look for more Dave Barry to read. Fortunately (if you like this sort of thing), he's been a prolific author. A columnist with the Miami Herald for many years, he has published numerous books, among them:

Dave Barry's money secrets : like, why is there a giant eyeball on the dollar?
Boogers are my beat : more lies, but some actual journalism; illustrations by Jeff MacNelly.
Dave Barry is from Mars and Venus
Dave Barry's Complete guide to guys : a fairly short book
Dave Barry is not making this up; cartoons by Jeff MacNelly.
Stay fit & healthy until you're dead (an oldie but goodie)

He keeps good company, too. One of the intriguing notes in his biography is that "Dave plays lead guitar in a literary rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose other members include Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson and Mitch Albom. They are not musically skilled, but they are extremely loud."

If you love Dave Barry, you can share his writing with your kids, too. He has collaborated with Ridley Pearson on a series of children's books based on the Peter Pan character: Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Escape from the Carnivale, and the soon-to-be-released Cave of the Dark Wind. I haven't read the children's books myself--if you have, please leave us a note about what you thought of them!

Earlier this week, I vacationed with friends and new acquaintances on a delightful island along the Maine coast. One night, I became involved in a conversation with one of my new acquaintances, Margaret, and our discussion traversed a wide range of topics including macrobiotics, personal growth and mediumship! When I asked Margaret to recommend a few books about mediumship, she gave me a couple of titles and one author in particular, Carole Lynne. As it turns out, I know Carole Lynne personally but never knew she was involved in mediumship. It was one of those strange moments when you realize how small the world is, and how powerful social networks can be if we know how to utilize them.

So with that in mind, I thought I'd share with you a few books about social networks and and few more about mediumship. (Unfortunately, our library does not own a copy of Carole Lynne's book, but we can get for you through interlibrary loan.)

Social Networks and Social Networking
Make your contacts count : networking know-how for business and career success / Anne Baber, Lynne Waymon.
Monster careers : Networking : make the connections that make your career / by Jeff Taylor with Doug Hardy.

Mediumship
Don't kiss them good-bye / Allison DuBois.
Heaven and Earth : making the psychic connection / James Van Praagh.
Reaching to heaven : a spiritual journey through life and death / James Van Praagh.
How to get a good reading from a psychic medium : get the most out of your contact with the other side / Carole Lynne [Available through interlibrary loan].

Act I

Librarian 1: Hi, how can I help you?

History Buff: I'm looking for books about World War II. Do you have anything?

Librarian 1: Yes, we have a lot of books about World War II. Is there a particular aspect of the war that interests you?

History Buff: My father fought in the Pacific, so I'm interested in that. I like reading about the soldiers' experiences, too.

Librarian 1: Ok, let's take a look. Here's one you might like. It's a new book, so it will be up front in the new arrivals area. The title is Tales From a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. It's an oral history, so you'll get the soldiers' experiences.

History Buff: Yeah, that's right up my alley. Thanks.

Librarian 1: You're welcome.

Mom: Can I place these here for a minute?

Librarian 2: Sure. That's quite a pile of books you have.

Six-Year-Old Child: Those are mine.

Librarian 2: Wow. They'll keep you busy for a while.

Mom: That's the plan. Do you have the book Nineteen Minutes?

Librarian 2: We own Nineteen Minutes, but it's very popular, so it's probably checked out right now. Wow--we have a whopping 54 requests on that one!

Mother: 54!

Librarian 2: Yes, but we have multiple copies, and it looks like someone just returned a Hot Copy. If you think you can read it in a week, I can grab it for you. Just keep in mind that you won't be able to renew it. Also, the overdue fine is $.50 per day.

Mom: I'm a fast reader, so that will work. I also want to pick up some summer reading books for my oldest.

Librarian 2: Summer reading for grades 5-8 and 9-12 are on the wall in front of the teen room. You'll see it once you turn around. The list is hanging on the wall, and the books are on the shelves. You can take a look at that while I get the Hot Copy from the shelf by the front entrance. I'll meet you by the summer reading.

Mom: Thanks. You know, if I had to buy all of the books that I check out of this library, I would be broke.

Librarian 1: Hi.

Voracious Reader: Hi. I have been looking all over for a book, and I can't find it. It's on the older side. I didn't see it in your online catalog. Can you help me?

Librarian 1: I hope so. Maybe we can get it through interlibrary loan.

Voracious Reader: How does that work?

Librarian 1: I'll check the state catalog. If another library in New Hampshire has it, we can borrow the book for you. It usually takes about a week or so to get it.

Voracious Reader: How much does that cost?

Librarian 1: It's free if we borrow the book from a library in-state. If the book is not available in a New Hampshire library, we can check out-of-state. In that case, you would pay a postage charge and possibly a lending fee. The postage charge is determined by the size of the book; it's usually between $2.00 and $3.50.

Voracious Reader: So, even if you don't have a book here, you can find a library that does have it and get it for me?

Librarian 1: If a library has a circulating copy, and the book is more than six months old, we can request it.

Voracious Reader: That's great!

Librarian 1: It's been a busy morning.

Librarian 2: Yes, it has been. Someone requested a book while you were finishing up that interlibrary loan. I'll send an e-mail to you with the information so you can decide if you want to purchase it. People still want library books.

Librarian 1: They certainly do.

End of Act I

Stay tuned for Act II, which will be presented next Monday.

July is great for tennis. Each year, a relative of mine loves to settle down with a bowl of strawberries and cream and watch the Wimbledon finals. When it's not too humid, July is also a great time for playing tennis. On top of that, July 10 is the birthday of two great tennis champions: Arthur Ashe and Virginia Wade. You'll find that we have numerous books by and about Arthur Ashe, as well as some interesting information about Virginia Wade in Total tennis : the ultimate tennis encyclopedia, edited by Bud Collins. Among other things, Total Tennis has a section recording career data for many tennis players: career earnings, Grand Slam records by year, yearly ranking, number of tournaments played, won, and lost, winning percentage and more. For those more interested in the human side of the story, it also features short bios of many great players.

We also have in-depth biographies on players such as the Williams sisters (Venus Williams by Sandy Asirvatham, at Y BIOG W6768 A, and Venus envy : a sensational season inside the Women's Tour, by L. Jon Wertheim, at 796.342 W), Andre Agassi (The Agassi Story, by Dominic Cobello, at 796.342 A), John McEnroe (On being John McEnroe, by Tim Adams, at 796.342 A), and many others. Our children's collection includes several books on Serena and Venus Williams, plus information on Andy Roddick, Martina Hingis, and legends such as Martina Navratilova.

So, for those days when it's too hot for tennis, you can still enjoy the game vicariously!

Baltimore is an interesting city, and, for a variety of reasons, I have visited there a number of times. On one of my trips I visited the Babe Ruth Museum which is housed in the home in which the Babe was born. The exhibits were very interesting, and just visiting the house itself was a fun experience. Baltimore has a second sports museum, Sports Legends at Camden Yards, which has an exhibit featuring Babe Ruth including items from a trip which Babe made to Japan. I bring this subject up because, ninety-three years ago, Babe Ruth made his major league baseball debut. According to his official biography, Babe Ruth was first signed by the Baltimore Orioles where he played for five months. The Orioles were at that time a minor league team and a part of the Boston Red Sox system. It only took those five months for him to be noticed by the Red Sox, and on July 11, 1914, the rest became history.

Babe Ruth's official biography is found on his official website. The website is sponsored by the family of Babe Ruth and the Babe Ruth Baseball League and is packed with all types of information about The Babe. The About Babe Ruth section contains not only his official biography, but also his baseball statistics, his achievements and awards, photos and quotes by him and about him. The Community section lists Tribute websites, like the ones put up by the Yankees and Red Sox, and provides a link to each one. It is also possible for anyone who has a tribute website to Babe Ruth to have it listed here on the Babe's official site. In the Downloads section, you can download free screen savers and computer wallpaper featuring Babe Ruth. The Shopping section will sell you everything from books and videos about Babe Ruth to life-sized cardboard figures of him!

Babe Ruth's career had amazing successes at the same time that his personal life had amazing ups and downs. He became a legend for his good qualities and a legend for his bad. In 1919, after a record-breaking pitching performance which helped the Red Sox win the 1918 World Series, Babe Ruth was traded to the New York Yankees, apparently to assist the new Red Sox owner in establishing his career as a Broadway producer. This was the beginning of the well-known Curse of the Bambino. The Babe's career as a Yankee can be found in detail on the NY Yankees official website This was a time period when Babe Ruth developed another of his talents, acting. The internet movie database lists a number of movies that included Babe Ruth, some sports shorts in which he was the only person involved, some movies where he made a cameo appearance as himself, and one movie, Babe Comes Home, in which he played the title role of Babe Dugan.

Babe Ruth's life is too eventful to be discussed at length in this blog. The only other career highlight that I will mention is his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 as one of the first five players to be inducted. If baseball statistics are of interest to you, baseball-reference.com has a large collection of Babe Ruth's statistics as does Baseball Almanac which even includes his salary for each year that he played in the major leagues.

The library has some new materials for those interested in the career and life of Babe Ruth:
two new DVD : Everyone's hero and Reverse of the curse of the Bambino which traces the history of the curse, and highlights the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series.
several new books : Ty and the Babe : baseball's fiercest rivals, The big bam : the life and times of Babe Ruth , Babe Ruth : launching the legend, and Sultans of swat : four great sluggers of the New York Yankees.

So, as Babe Ruth said "The only real game, I think, in the world is baseball."

A few weeks ago, Tuesday, June 19th, to be exact the 2007 teen summer reading program (You Never Know @ Your Library) kicked off with an outdoor concert. Four teen bands and 2 individual performs graced us with their music talent on the library plaza.

All of the musicians had awesome performances. One band even went so far as to create a new song just for the concert, about what else...their favorite library! Double Yellow, the first to perform, sang a song about how they learned to read at the Nashua Public Library.

Thanks to Nashua's new educational station, Channel 99, you might be able to catch the entire concert on tv. But, for those of you who can't wait we were able to get a clip of the "Ode To The Nashua Public Library" as I like to refer to it. I uploaded it to both You Tube and the library's Myspace page.

So when you have a minute have a listen and be reminded, that yes...the library can be a 'cool' place to hang out with friends.

"Ode To The Nashua Public Library" Myspace video

"Ode To The Nashua Public Library" You Tube Video

If this technology interests you check out our books on Myspace and other Web 2.0 topics.

Did any of you watch some of the Live Earth "The Concerts for Climate Crisis" last weekend? The few hours that I watched were incredible. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Live Earth was a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 brought together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Even though the event is over, you can still watch performances of individual artists on the web. Just go to http://liveearth.msn.com/artists.

At the main Live Earth website, http://www.liveearth.org, you can also find a lot of information about how you can participate in confronting the planet's climate crisis. Try visiting the Live Earth Climate Crisis Tools & News page. One of the issues I read about on the site was that old laptop computers are very energy inefficient. By upgrading to a more efficient laptop computer, and bringing your old laptop to an electronic products recycling program, you can make a real difference. In fact, many of the big computer manufacturers have their own recycling programs and also offer refurbished computers. In case you are thinking about getting rid of your computer(s), here are links to a few such manufacturers and their recycling programs:

• Dell Computers
• Apple
• HP
• Sony

And be sure to take the Live Earth pledge and commit to taking action against the climate crisis. Find out more here, http://liveearthpledge.org/answer_the_call.php

Act II

Job Searcher: Hi. I need your help. I have to update my resume, but my printer is down. Do you have any computers that print?

Librarian 1: Yes, you can use the computers in our business section.

Job Searcher: How much does it cost, and how can I sign up?

Librarian 1: Do you have a library card?

Job Searcher: No.

Librarian 1: If you live, work, or go to school in Nashua, you are eligible for a library card; otherwise you can get a computer card. You can get either at the circulation desk up front. Then, you can just walk up to a computer and log on with the last 5 digits of the bar code on the back of your card. The pin is the last four digits of your phone number. You can use the computer for one hour each day, and if no one is waiting for a computer, the system will automatically extend your time. Once you log off after working for an hour or more, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to log on again. Using the computer is free, but you do have to pay to print.

Job Searcher: And that costs...

Librarian 1: Ten cents for black and white; twenty-five for color. You can set up a print account once you get your card.

Job Searcher: A print account--how does that work?

Librarian 1: I'll need the last five digits of your card. You have to give us at least a dollar each time you add money to your account. Your printing will be deducted from that dollar, and whatever you don't use will be available for next time. The balance is not refundable.

John Searcher: It's like a debit card. I'll be right back.

Mother of a Soon-To-Be College Student: Hi. This is a little embarrassing. My daughter is going away to college, and she wants to be able to e-mail me, but I don't know anything about computers. They scare me. A lot.

Librarian 2: We offer free computer classes. They're one-time classes, but you're welcome to take them more than once.

Mother: That would be great. Do you have anything really simple?

Librarian 2: You can start with Computer Basics. It's designed for people who have no experience using computers. We go over the different parts of the computer, what you will see when you turn it on, and how to use the mouse. Once you take that class, you can move on to the Internet, and then our Yahoo E-Mail class.

Mother: That would be great. When are they offered?

Librarian 2: Here's our schedule and a brochure about the classes. Generally, we teach classes Monday through Thursday at either 10:30 or 2:30. The classes typically run between 1 1/2 and 2 hours.

Job Searcher: Excuse me, did I just hear you say that you offer free computer classes?

Librarian 2: Yes. Here's the brochure and schedule.

Job Searcher: I wonder...The last time I looked for a job, you found everything in the paper. Now, with the Internet, it's so hard to know exactly what to do. I feel like I'm missing something if I just check the Sunday papers. I'm familiar with the Internet and E-mail, but I'm a little intimidated by all of the job resources out there. I just don't know how to approach them.

Librarian 2: You're in luck. Our newest class is all about Online Job Searching.

Job Searcher: Wow. That's great. Sign me up!

Librarian 1: Hi. How are you?

High School Student: Ok, but I have to write a paper and I don't have my own computer. My friend said that you have computers here specifically for homework.

Librarian 1: The computers in the alcoves are reserved as Teen Homework computers from 3-9 Monday through Friday, and all day on weekends during the school year. When you come in, you have to sign up at the "Q" right here next to the reference desk. Once the "Q" assigns you to a computer, you can log in at that computer.

High School Student: Thanks. I didn't know how I was going to get this paper done.

Librarian 1: You're welcome. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Adult Computer User: Hi. I need to get onto a computer, but they're all full.

Librarian 2: I can put you on the waiting list. I know some people here have been on for at least an hour, so a computer should be free within the next 15 minutes.

Librarian 1: They're all full?

Librarian 2: They are. It has been busy all day. A lot of people have been using the wireless access as well.

Librarian 1: I don't know what all of these people would do if we didn't have public computers.

End of Act II

Don't miss out on the conclusion of Why Libraries Are Still Relevant next Monday.

Okay, pop quiz: What do the following people have in common: (A) Nora Roberts; (B) Elizabeth Peters; (C) Susan Wittig Albert.

Certainly, all are successful authors. But more specifically, they all write under more than one name.

Nora Roberts, queen of the romance novel, also writes the highly successful "In Death" series as J.D. Robb.* Novelist calls the "In Death" books "futuristic romantic suspense." They follow the exploits of police detective Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke. The combination of strong police storylines and the Dallas/Roarke relationship have made these a favorite with both men and women. They are found in our general fiction collection. A new J.D. Robb title, Creation in Death, is due out in November.

As "Nora Roberts," she has written dozens upon dozens of romance novels. We have a staggering 187 Nora Roberts entries in the library catalog. The latest is High Noon.

Elizabeth Peters's real name is Barbara Mertz, and she has a Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. She has written books on Egyptology under her real name, and as "Elizabeth Peters," she uses that knowledge as fodder for the popular Amelia Peabody Emerson mystery series. The series features the adventures of Victorian-era Egyptologists Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. It begins with Crocodile on the Sandbank. Mertz has also written many modern romantic suspense novels as "Barbara Michaels."

Susan Wittig Albert writes the China Bayle mystery series, which started in 1992 with Thyme of Death. More recently, she has written a series of mysteries centered on Beatrix Potter. The first is The Tale of Hill Top Farm. The latest in the series, The Tale of Hawthorn House, is due out in September.

Beatrix Potter also appears in Death at Gallows Green, part of the series that Albert writes with her husband, Bill, under the pseudonym "Robin Paige." (Death at Gallows Green was published several years before The Tale of Hill Top Farm.) The Paige books are also mysteries, featuring Kate Ardleigh and Charles Sheridan as Victorian-Era sleuths. (They are shockingly modern in the equality of their partnership, and eventual marriage--something they have in common with Peters's Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson.) The Robin Paige books start with Death at Bishop's Keep.

In search of more authors' pseudonyms, I ran across an interesting list at the St. Charles, IL Public Library web site. Among the authors they featured were:

M.C. Beaton = Marion Chesney
Jayne Ann Krentz = Jayne Castle = Amanda Quick
Heather Graham = Shannon Drake
Ed McBain = Evan Hunter
Ruth Rendell = Barbara Vine
Donald Westlake = Richard Stark

There are countless others. Have a favorite? Drop us a comment!

* Nora Roberts's J.D. Robb is not to be confused with the J.D. (John Donald) Robb, born 1892, who wrote Hispanic folk songs of New Mexico.

There are two viewpoints to this getting ready for college business. Getting ready will take up most of the summer, and new college freshman and their parent(s) will be involved in every step of the process. This blog discusses what the new college freshman may face, and what is available in the way of information and help. My blog next week will focus on the parent(s). Everyone is headed into new territory, and forging ahead takes just as much preparation and courage as letting go.

If you are in the process of readying yourself for that first year of college, you already know it's not easy. What do you bring? What do you buy there? What does the school supply? What will your roommate bring? How do you get it all there? That part alone will cause sleepless nights. Even when you communicate with your roommate in advance, there are still surprises. I talked endlessly with my future roommate before my freshman year, only to discover when I arrived, that I had been given one name, but actually had three roommates!

Your school will most likely send a large packet of useful information. Read everything, no matter how boring! Your college website is often helpful as well. Many websites have FAQ for new students or an option to ask questions of currently enrolled students. Some colleges have videos or slide shows of what newly arriving students should expect. You probably visited the campus before you applied and maybe again after you were accepted, but you will need specialized information when it's time to move in. Important things like "where do I get my room key?" Or "how do I get into my dorm if the outside door is locked?" The worst suprise that we had involved "how heavy should I pack my boxes?" My son's dorm room was on the 5th floor of a building with no elevator. Had he known this, he would have packed very differently!

If you are headed to the same school that some of your friends are going to, or even someone from the same town, you will at least see a familiar face occasionally on campus and be able to compare notes on how things are going. If you are headed across the country or even just to a school where no one else you know is going, pay attention to what is in your orientation information regarding special programs for incoming students. It may be worth taking a week off from work in the summer, or even leaving an extra week early to go to an orientation, which may not be mandatory, but will be worth your time. Even knowing a handful of people when you arrive will make a difference.

The library has some books which answer questions that you may not have even thought of yet. One of my favorites is Been there should've done that which covers not just social stuff, but the things which keep you from flunking out of school. Another useful book is Getting ready for college which combines good advice with stories from students who learned these things the hard way. College bound is a somewhat older book, but it offers solid suggestions for things like handling that first visit home after you've been on your own, and what to do if your grades go south. Another book of advice from those who have been through the same situation is How to survive your freshman year, some of it is good advice and some of it is not so good experiences.

Until next week, just keep packing. Two final pieces of learned- through- experience wisdom. Don't do anything drastic with your hair before you go and don't spend a fortune on clothes until you see what everyone else is wearing! Two things I wish I'd known before my picture appeared in the freshman face book!

Many of you may be pondering this very question if you've come to the library this past year and not been able to locate any books by the popular author Jodi Picoult. It seems as though everyday a customer will come to the reference desk and say "I can't find any books by Jodi Picoult in adult fiction, are they located somewhere else?" Aside from the adult fiction paperback area the answer in most cases is, "no, your looking in the right spot, she's just that popular!"

So the answer to the first question is yes, the library does have many of her books in our collection, they are just heavily used.

So if you are one of the unfortunate ones who has come to the library in hopes of checking out one of Picoult's books and found the shelf empty, then I have a few suggestions for you.

First, check our Hot Copies collection near the front doors and you may be lucky enough to find one of her new releases waiting to be read. These books can only be checked out for 1 week with no renewals and have a steeper late fee.

Second, you can place any of her titles on reserve by using the "My Account" feature located on the library's homepage or in the library's catalog. If you choose this option, you will be notified by phone or email when a copy has become available for you and it will be held at the front desk for 3 days.

Finally, try out the "author read-alike" feature in the Novelist database. Once you get to the homepage of Novelist you want to click on the "For Readers" tab. From there click on "Author Read-alikes" and locate Jodi Picoult and you are good to go.

Perhaps you are one of our blog's regular readers and you diligently check the blog on a daily basis. Perhaps you would like to be a regular reader of the blog, but are a little intimidated by RSS feeds. In either case, we now have a new service to offer you. You can now subscribe to our blog and receive updates via email. Just type in your email address in the form on the right-hand side of the home page and follow the instructions to verify your subscription. Soon thereafter you'll receive a daily email including any new entries in the previous day. It's pretty cool, and it's handy if you prefer email over RSS feeds. Give us a call at the reference desk, 589-4611, if you have any questions.

Act III

Librarian 1: Did you hear that a Cub Scout group is coming in for a tour of the library today?

Librarian 2: Yes, I think they're going to look at the materials in the Hunt Room and possibly the microfilm.

Librarian 1: I hope they enjoy seeing some of the old materials that we have here in the library.

Librarian 2: I've seen some great digitizations, but there's something special about actual, physical documents that are 100 years old.

Librarian 1: I agree.

Out-of-State Visitor: Hello. I'm up here visiting some family, and I thought I would do some genealogical research. I'm trying to find out where my grandparents lived, and how long they were in Nashua. I think they came here from Canada in the late 1800s, but I don't know exactly when.

Librarian 1: We have the old city directories in the Hunt Room. That's probably the best place to start.

Out-of-State Visitor: That sounds helpful. Where's the Hunt Room?

Librarian 1: I'll show you. We keep the room locked because many of the books are fragile and/or irreplaceable. Before we head over there, I have to sign you in. Can I hold your license or keys?

Out-of-State Visitor: I've been to a lot of libraries that do that. I had to fill out a registration card at one place.

Librarian 1: We only need your name and phone number. The door will lock behind you, so if you leave, please come back to the desk. We don't allow food or drink in the Hunt Room, and you have to use pencil to take notes.

Out-of-State Visitor: That's pretty standard.

Librarian 1: Here we are. You can leave the books on the table when you're done.

Student: Hi. Can you help me?

Librarian 2: I hope so.

Student: Ok. I'm doing a paper for school, and I've looked on the Internet, and I can't find anything good.

Librarian 2: We can check some of our databases, and we might have a few books on your topic. Has your teacher given you any guidelines about sources?

Student: She said we have to use at least five sources. We can't use Wikipedia as a source, either, and that is the only place I could find information.

Librarian 2: Let's start with the library catalog. Hmm...it looks like we have a couple of books on the subject. Here are the call numbers. We also have databases, which include articles. You can get to them from the library's home page. You can either click on the iBrowse Databases box or on the word "databases" in the gray bar. EBSCO has a selection of resources. MasterFile Premier includes popular magazines, and Academic Search Premier has scholarly articles. If it says HTML full text or PDF, you'll be able to read the entire article. It looks like a bunch came up. Do any of these look helpful?

Student: The first and third one look good. Why couldn't I find these on Google?

Librarian 2: Search engines can't find the articles within the database. So, there's a whole lot out there that you won't be able to access when you do a Google search. You can search the databases from the computers in the library or from home. You'll need to enter your library card number to log in from home. Oh, it looks like the third article isn't full text. When is your paper due?

Student: It's due in a month.

Librarian 2: We might be able to get that one through interlibrary loan. It usually takes about a week, so I think you have enough time.

Student: Ok. Why isn't that one full text?

Librarian 2: Not all articles are available full text, and each database includes a different selection of materials. Even when databases carry the full text of journals, they don't always include the entire run of the periodical. I've noticed that many go back to the mid-90s.

Frustrated Researcher: I need to get some old newspaper articles, but when I go to the Telegraph and Globe websites, I can't get anything more than a few days old. That won't help me.

Librarian 1: We have a couple of ways to access older newspaper articles. The Newsbank database includes both the Nashua Telegraph and Boston Globe back to 1998, but you'll need to use the microfilm for anything earlier.

Frustrated Researcher: I need articles from 1987, so, I can't get what I need online?

Librarian 1: Unfortunately not. You'll have to get them the old fashioned way.

Frustrated Researcher: So much for this Internet stuff.

Librarian 1: Contrary to popular belief, you can't get everything online. As useful and helpful as the Internet is, it doesn't have everything. There are a lot of valuable sources--books, journals, archival materials--available in libraries all over the country.

The End

Big old abandoned buildings intrigue me. And they don't get much bigger and older than the abandoned ancient city of Machu Picchu. That's probably part of the reason that Machu Picchu was recently voted one of the new seven wonders of the world in a contest run by the New7Wonders Foundation. The other six winners were Chichen Itza, the Taj Mahal, Rome's Colosseum, Jordan's Petra, Brazil's Christ Redeemer statue, and the Great Wall of China.

Machu Picchu, believed to have been built in the fifteenth century and abandoned in the 1500s, was rediscovered on July 24, 1911. Yale professor Hiram Bingham located the ruins of this ancient Incan city, complete with palaces and temples, in the Andes Mountains in Peru. A quick overview about Machu Picchu is available in the World Book Encyclopedia online, available through our web site at http://www.nashua.lib.nh.us/IbrowseAdultAlpha.htm. If you'd like to read historical newspaper articles about the expedition, try our Newspaper Archives database (available in the library only). Or, for more detailed reading, we also have some books on the topic:

The Machu Picchu guidebook : a self-guided tour, by Ruth M. Wright, Alfredo Valencia Zegarra. (call number 918.537 W)
Machu Picchu, by Sheryl Peterson. (call number JUV 985.3 P)
Machu Picchu, by Elizabeth Mann ; with illustrations by Amy Crehore. (call number JUV 985.3 M)

If you'd like to read more about the recent "New Seven Wonders of the World," try our Newsbank database (also available at http://www.nashua.lib.nh.us/IbrowseAdultAlpha.htm) for current news articles. The contest winners were announced on July 7, 2007. You might also like to stop by the Stearns Room, where we keep the most recent month's newspapers in paper copy.

The new seven wonders contest was decided by call-in and internet votes from all over the world. A more extensive and "serious" project is the UNESCO world heritage program. According to their web site, the UNESCO project "seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity." There are several hundred sites designated as World Heritage sites, and you can find the list at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/. Machu Picchu, Petra, the Great Wall, the Taj Mahal, and Chichen-Itza are all World Heritage sites, as is the Parthenon, the Great Barrier Reef, and hundreds of other sites of historical, cultural, and natural significance.

Last week I wrote with general suggestions for kids heading off to college. This week I'm writing with suggestions for the parents left behind. Being left behind is a scary thing. At least it feels that way sometimes. I only have two children and the college process was a different experience both times.

My daughter was the first to go off to college. Everything was very organized; we spent the whole summer buying items on her list and packing. She went to a college where she didn't know anyone and moving in was very efficient and very stressed. We barely met her roommate. When it was done, she wanted us gone . When my son left for college, it was very laid back - just like him. I pushed him to go shopping for what he needed and I pushed him to help pack. He was headed to a college where he didn't know anyone either, but by the time we had moved him in, with the help of his roommate and other assorted people, he seemed perfectly at home. We suggested that we should leave.

There are a lot of questions to be considered. How long should you wait before you call to check in and how often should you call? What do you do if he/she is homesick? How long should your student stay on campus before coming home? How soon should you visit? How much advice do you give about classes and class choices? How much advice about roommate problems? Most colleges devote a portion of their website to parents and parent questions. Many area students will be attending UNH so I am using the UNH website as an example. On the toolbar across the top of the website is a tab that says Parents. The tab connects you to the Parents section where you can find out just about everything; including when the important dates are, how to become involved in your child's college as a parent, how to contact another parent to ask a question about college life and of course information about paying the bills. Most colleges offer a Parent's Handbook, either downloadable from online, mailed to you or handed out on moving-in day. A good source for answers to questions that you don't want to bug your student about. UNH also has an online publication called The Inside Scoop which has a Parents section filled with useful recommendations. Your student's college probably has a similar website with important information for you - the parent. Just spent a little time poking around there.

The library has a couple of books which are very good at helping parents adjust to the whole thing. One of them is recommended reading for parents by UNH. Don't tell me what to do, just send money is a guide to dealing with your child's college issues in a different environment in a different way. Another helpful book is Letting go : a parent's guide to understanding the college years. It isn't as humorous and entertaining to read, but it provides thoughtful information on the changing college landscape and the changing world.

This is also a time when parents need to begin giving thought to the empty nest and the changes which the family will go through in the future. The library has some insightful books written on that topic. The eight seasons of parenthood, Family re-union : reconnecting parents and children in adulthood and Letting go and finding yourself : separating from your children , an older book with a lot to say about the emotions that arise with this letting go process.

On the lighter side, get ready to enjoy yourself. College visits are fun, so are the visits when your student comes home. Just wait for that readjustment period when he/she comes back to spend the whole summer! Good luck and enjoy.

Well as of tomorrow it will have been a week since the last book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released. In case you're worried there will be no spoilers in this entry so keep reading. I must confess, I let someone tell me what the black market spoiler was. I guess that's why I'm one of the few who own the book but have yet to read it.

*Gasp*

Yes, it's true its sitting at home on my coffee table while I finish another book. Luckily I don't watch much tv and friends and co-workers are very respectful of not leaking the entire story to those that have yet to finish it. A participant in the teen summer reading program was even nice enough to write a review for the Teen's Review It blog without including too many juicy details.

So here's what I want to know...for those of you that weren't able to wait, was the conclusion to one of the world's literary phenomenons worth all the hype? Or do you think you could've done better then J.K. Rowling?

Leave me a comment.

I happened to catch the new Michael Moore movie "Sicko" this past weekend. Whether you love or hate Moore, or think health care should be free to all Americans or should be exclusively market driven, I recommend giving "Sicko" a try. I particularly liked the part of the movie where Moore explores the one part of the U.S. where he says its inhabitants get free universal health care coverage, the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Apparently the enemy combatants kept on the naval base get top notch care free of charge. Well, I won't tell you more than that, but just go see the movie, and come back and leave me a comment at the end of this entry, even if it is to demand a refund from me. I'll be waiting.

Recommended Information Resources about the Health Care "Crisis"
Sick : the untold story of America's health care crisis, and the people who pay the price / Jonathan Cohn.
The whistleblower : confessions of a healthcare hitman / by Peter Rost.
Health care meltdown : confronting the myths and fixing our failing system / Robert H. LeBow ; foreword by John P. Geyman.
"True Health-Care Reform Must Return Decision-Making to Individuals", available in the library's Opposing Viewpoints database
"Against Universal Coverage." National Review, 7/9/2007, Vol. 59 Issue 12, p17-17; (available in the library's EBSCO database)
The business of health : the role of competition, markets, and regulation / Robert L. Ohsfeldt and John E. Schneider.(Available via interlibrary loan)
A second opinion : rescuing America's healthcare : a plan for universal coverage serving patients over profit / Arnold S. Relman.(Available via interlibrary loan)

When I was young, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house. I have many fond memories of building hideouts, playing with my siblings and cousins, and watching TV in the den. Many a Saturday afternoon we watched the lineup of shows on PBS: The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross's happy little trees, Victory Garden, Julia Child, and The Frugal Gourmet. However, I wasn't quite as interested in This Old House. Times sure have changed! Now that I'm a homeowner, I appreciate it much more. My husband and I have been known to watch it on Saturday mornings, and it airs on avariety of stations. I enjoy following the projects, and I marvel at how the crew makes everything look so easy on Ask This Old House. My husband subscribes to the magazine, which you can get here at the library. I even had the pleasure of meeting host Kevin O'Connor at a luncheon. (We went to the same college.)

I have grand ideas, but my husband and I are not Norm Abram. Our home improvement projects are fairly minimal--think spackling, caulking, painting, and little bit of patchwork. We leave the big jobs, like plastering our ceilings, to the experts. But, if you are handy or just want some ideas, the library has numerous resources. Aside from the afore mentioned magazine, we have books on home improvement, painting, and remodeling, among other topics that might be helpful if you are doing work on your house. You can also look at the HGTV and DIY websites.

Home improvements will make you happy in the end, but they can be stressful. What seems like a simple task often becomes more involved and complex than you had anticipated. I am writing from experience!

If you have a favorite home improvement show or any tips, please leave a comment below.

Genealogy buffs will understand the thrill of breaking through a brick wall and finally finding an ancestor who has eluded you for years. I had just such a Eureka! moment this weekend when I finally found evidence of not one but four of my mother's great-grandparents. Now, I'm a fairly casual researcher. I get occasional moments of genealogy frenzy when I go out on the web and poke around to see what's available. And every now and then, I get lucky. This breakthrough, for example, came from a Google search that led me to FamilySearch.org, the Mormon Church's huge online database of genealogy information.

Now, I could probably have had this information years ago if I were a serious researcher. What I found on FamilySearch was a transcription of a marriage record that I could have just requested from the New York City vital records office. It is apparently held there on microfilm.

Although new content is released in digital format all the time, there are still many, many other records like this are not yet available electronically. Here in Nashua, for example, we have birth, marriage, and death records on microfilm:

• Birth records on microfilm, 1826 to 1900
• Marriage records on microfilm, 1836 to 1915
• Death records on microfilm, 1837 to 1915

Any reference librarian on duty will be happy to assist you in using our microfilm scanner-readers. You can print copies of records or scan them and send them via e-mail.

We also have a number of paper resources for vital records in the Hunt Room, including:

• Vital records of Dunstable, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849 (call number REF 974.44 D93 V). These records date from the time when Nashua was part of Dunstable.
• Deaths registered in the city of Nashua, NH, from the city's annual reports (1887–1919)
• Other books of marriage, death, and birth records including church baptism records, marriage intentions, and cemetery listings

So, if you're looking for vital records, remember: it's not just about Ancestry.com and the great vast web. Come and see us at the reference desk if you'd like to broaden your search and see what's available on microfilm and paper.

(Of course, we do have subscriptions to Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest, to help you cover the electronic bases. You can find these on our genealogy web page, http://www.nashua.lib.nh.us/IbrowseAdultGenealogy.htm.)