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A true reference classic, The World Almanac and Book of Facts has been published for well over 100 years, 140 to be exact.

Each annual issue has a recap of major events from the previous year, as well as statistics and facts about:

• Economy, Business, & Energy
• Crime
• Military Affairs
• Health & Vital Statistics
• Personalities, Arts & Media
• Science & Technology
• Consumer Information
• U.S. Government
• U.S. Facts, History & Elections
• U.S. Cities, States & Population
• World History & Culture
• Sports

Some interesting facts and figures I discovered while glancing through...

• Penn State University Libraries have the 33rd largest library collection in the U.S.!  (p. 404)
  
• Total fat consumption in the U.S. has risen from 37.7 lbs per capita in 1910 to 85.5 lbs in 2005   (p. 87)
• Women and children make up 70-80% of the estimated 24.5 million internally displaced persons worldwide  (p. 850)
• The winning word in the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee was "serrefine"  (p. 722)
• The most popular names given to babies born in the U.S. in 2006 was Jacob for boys and Emily for girls  (p. 726)
• In 2006 the U.S. produced 71.03 quadrillion Btu of energy, but consumed 99.87 quadrillion Btu of energy, 85% in the form of fossil fuels and only 6.8% in the form of renewable energy sources (figures are preliminary, see the Annual Energy Review for more details)  (p. 104)

In an introductory essay entitled, "The Almanac in the Internet Age," C. Alan Joyce and the Editors of the Almanac write:

"So how does a book like The World Almanac survive, in a world where terabytes of information are a mouse-click away, where reference books can be tagged as suspicious and dangerous tools, and where people rely more on "gut feelings" than rational, informed discussion? By doing much the same thing is has done for the past 140 years: by filtering through massive quantities of data to bring its readers only the most essential statistics, in readable format; by delivering authoritative, reliable facts and practical information; and by avoiding, as much as humanly possible, the modern urge to editorialize and manipulate data to support a particular point of view.

"In compiling each new edition, we stumble across countless surprises and unexpected revelations about the world; a casual flip through the pages of this volume should let you follow the same journey of surprise and discovery."  (p. 7)

I think this says it all. In fact, the way they feel about their almanac is the way I feel about reference books and libraries in general, and I don't think I'm alone. A decline in use of our print reference collection cannot change how I feel about these books. Though the format may not always be practical in the "Internet Age," some books are just easier to use in print--at least until searching, viewing, and browsing options improve. I'm not sure anything will ever quite replace the "journey of surprise and discovery" that comes with flipping open a book to a page at random or thumbing through its pages until something catches your eye.

Whether "hidden" inside a book stored on the shelves in the library's reference collection or "hidden" behind a link to the library's subscription to the e-book, the content of these books is still highly valuable and relevant. This is what keeps me motivated to continue the "Reference Special" feature, to encourage a student demand for quality by raising awareness of "hidden" information sources. Stay tuned.

Today I'm in a rush, I have a lot to do! It probably took me longer to select a reference book to write about today than it will take for me to write this. So, this got me thinking about hurrying... what helps when you're in a hurry? I have a lot of ideas about this, but I settled on something that will help you say a lot in a short amount of time (and space).

Recently I was talking with a class about how a picture can say 1,000 words. Along those same lines, starting out with a short, pithy quote can really set the tone for what you're trying to say.

I distinctly remember being introduced to quotation dictionaries in junior high. (Oddly, this is not the first time today that a memory of junior high was triggered!) It was one of the few times I ever went into the school's library after elementary school--a class trip, probably for English class. My memory is foggy, but it goes something like, "Wow! Abraham Lincoln said that?!"

Some of you may already be familiar with Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, but I grabbed a more modern volume--The Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations (Ref. PN6081.A623 2006, Eiche Library Reference Collection).

They way they work is you look up the idea, place, person, or quality you're interested in and the book will give you a selection of famous and/or meaningful quotes to choose from. What's unique about this particular title is that (from the "Introduction," p. vii), "It is a collection, organized along historical lines, of nearly six thousand memorable quotations on more than five hundred some aspects of American life and culture."

So, under the entry for "love," you can read what Benjamin Franklin had to say about love in 1755 ("If you would be loved, love and be lovable.") -- what Emily Dickinson had to say about love in the 19th century -- and what 20th century icons like Robert Frost have to say ("Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."). Humorously reflecting what may be a 20th century attitude toward love, comedian Lily Tomlin said "If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?"

The words of Golda Meir speak to me: "I must govern the clock, not be governed by it."

Didn't find what you were looking for? The book also has a keyword index in the back, either for quick scanning or to find "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" (Whig campaign slogan, 1840) under the heading "political slogans" (see p. 514 to learn what that means). In the author index you can find direction to all those thoughtful Lincoln quotes. Maybe one will trigger more memories of 8th grade for me!

I could write a year's worth of entries about the wonders of titles in the language section of our reference collection, so stay tuned.

I missed an edition last Friday because I was out of town for a meeting, but, who's counting? This week I thought I'd take a look at a new classic, The Way Things Work, which many people probably had a copy of at home at one time or another, and some related books that tell the story of inventions.

Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions (Ref T20.C56 2003)
A History of Invention: From Stone Axes to Silicone Chips (Ref T15.W718 2000)
The Way Things Work (Ref T47.M18 1988)

These books will give you a sense of how the creativity of inventors (and the virtue of necessity) have impacted our world, as well as a better appreciation for the everyday items we take for granted.

You may know how to play an electric guitar, but can you explain how it works? You could use these books to incorporate a deeper understanding of how an electric guitar works into an informative speech or paper on the subject, or see how we got from parchment (untanned skin of sheep or goats) to blogs for communicating ideas.

But another use of these books could be research for a creative writing project. Use the books to understand the technology of the time and your wordsmithing to create a vivid picture when writing historical fiction. Or, use an understanding of how past inventions have changed our society to predict the impact new inventions might have for a story set in the future. Think about how light bulbs and sewing machines changed our lives... or how few people really understand the engineering behind anything well enough to build a working vehicle or a means of communicating remotely out of nothing, or even with some spare parts. (Ever seen Lost?)

And if those uses don't work for you, impress someone with your knowledge of, say, how a breath tester works. We all know you breathe into it and it, basically, it tells you how much you've had to drink--but what happens in between? Check out p. 314 of The Way Things Work to find out. (Nod to HowStuffWorks.com.)

Have you been wondering... how did we get from the mimeograph to the xerox?
Recently we've had a number of students asking what a "mimeograph" is and how they can make one. We directed them to the photocopier, but for the record, mimeograph was invented in 1875 by Thomas Alva Edison and was a "mainstay in office and school duplicating for the next century" (p. 83, Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions).

Stay tuned.

This week I've been thinking about law, but it's such a cold, gray day that I think I will save that topic for later. Instead, I thought I would take a look at atlases today.

Atlases are a lot more than the tattered collection of Rand McNally road maps from 1986 shoved under the front seat of your car. They are also rich visualizations of the subject at hand. They help you see the "big picture," and are usually accompanied by a "big picture" essay that weaves the maps into a story.

Atlases also combine two things I love--maps and numbers--so I could spend all day pouring over these.

For those of you who like to browse the shelves, all the atlases are usually together in the geography section (G call numbers). So, an atlas of American history won't be with the American history books, it will be with the atlases. This is a good example of why it's good to start a search for books by looking in the catalog (The CAT) for all the books on your topic. Add the word "atlas$" ($ truncates your search, to find either 'atlas' or 'atlases' in the description) or the word "maps" to your search to find atlases on your topic.

A few of the atlases in the Eiche Library Reference Collection:

Mapping America's Past (1996)
Check out "Prostitution in 19th-Century New York: Victorian Gender Ideology" (pp.140-141) or "The Geography of 'Stupidity': 'Intelligence,' Race, and Illiteracy" (pp.166-167)

Atlas or World Art (2004)
For example, "Art, War and Empire: The Aegean, 500-300 B.C." (pp. 60-61) - see the sources of metals, the trade routes, and major construction sites as advances in shipbuilding and navigation allowed for more trade in modern-day Greece and Turkey and the rise of communities and wealth led to an increase in skilled craftsmen (artists) (think: The Parthenon and giant marble statues)

Atlas of the World (2005) -- on the Atlas Stand, along the left wall on the 2nd Floor
Check out star charts and the 22 nearest nearest stars or maps depicting continental drift and geologic time, as well as maps of the world's countries and major cities and an index of locations.

But I wanted to take a little closer look inside the New Historical Atlas of Religion in America (2001). Based on the title and brief catalog description of the item ("ecclesiastical geography" and "church history") you do find what you might expect...  all sorts of maps and essays about the history of Baptist churches, Methodist churches, Roman Catholic churches, Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques, and the list goes on. Name a religion, it's probably in there.

What I wasn't expecting to find were sections on "Native Americans" before (Section 1, pp. 30-34) and after (Section 2, pp. 113-121) 1800, because they're looking at both "institutional" and "ethnic" religions in this book. The sections describe the rise, spread, eventual fall of numerous religious movements in the Native tradition, including the spread and use of the hallucinogen peyote in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The legality of the use of the drug as part of Native American Church worship has been contested throughout the 20th Century, recently in the 1988 Supreme Court case Employment Division v. Smith.

They're so packed with information, atlases just may be the "ultimate" reference book. Since they are so dense, how do you go about finding what you are looking for? My advice would be to ask for help and to plan to spend a little bit of time looking! You will be richly rewarded for the time invested.

In the second installment of the "Reference Special," I'd like to take a look at a new classic: African American National Biography, edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (Ref. E185.96.A4466 2008 v.1-8 and online in the Oxford African American Studies Center (link to PSU subscription)).

First off, I became a big fan of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. after seeing the African American Lives program on PBS. I wrote about it here--you can check out African American Lives and African American Lives 2 on DVD from the library. Gates is a Harvard professor and prolific author, among many other accomplishments.

This set is a much needed companion to the classic biography reference set American National Biography (Ref. CT213.A68 1999 v.1-24 and online at American National Biography (link to PSU subscription)).

"African American National Biography presents history through a mosaic of the lives of 4,100 individuals, some known throughout the world and others all but forgotten, illuminating the abiding influence of African Americans on the life of this nation through the immediacy of personal experience." (AANB website)

One of the great features of the printed set are the rich indexes found in Volume 8. There is an Index by Birthplace, as well as an Index by Subject Area and Realm of Renown with topics ranging as broad as Art, Award [Winners], Business, and Sports, to focused areas like Slave Narratives, Music-Hip Hop, and Women's Activism. Finally, there is a quick reference section on "African American Prizewinners, Medalists, Members of Congress, and Judges."

For students interested in history, this is a great resource for exploring beyond the well-know figures. In addition to Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, W.E.B. Du Bois, Sojourner Truth--discover other activists, athletes, educators, soldiers, politicians (and the list goes on) that have contributed to our nation's rich history.

For example, I selected an entry at random and learned a bit about the life of Isaac D. Williams (1821-1898) as he struggled to find his way from slavery to freedom, ultimately becoming a successful businessman and entrepreneur (v. 8, pp. 324-325). Find out more about Williams by reading his narrative, Sunshine and Shadow of Slave Life, made available online by the University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's North American Slave Narrative Collection in their Documenting the American South repository of primary sources.

There are many, many other fabulous resources for researching American, and specifically African American history. I'll recommend just one, the Oxford African American Studies Center (link to PSU subscription). Self-proclaimed to be "the online authority on the African American experience," this rich resource contains:

• more than 8,000 articles from numerous books
• over 1,750 images
• more than 300 primary sources (including commentaries)
• nearly 150 maps relevant to the content
• 150 charts and tables

And the research center continues to grow with new entries, presumably even before available in print. Finally, it is worth periodically checking back in on this resource for its Feature of the Month, currently "Blacks in Politics, Part 1." In the photo essay portion of the feature, the author refers to Barack Obama as "the first black and biracial man with a high chance of being the next President of the United States," which really struck me because I don't think I have ever heard the media refer to the Presidential candidate as biracial, only black, raising lots of questions about how we have historically, and continue, to perceive race on our society. (Note: Turns out a few media outlets are talking about it, sometimes in reader comments/reactions pointing out an oversight in the article. An interesting report on research related to this topic was published just today on Science Daily, "Does It Matter if Black Plus White Equals Black or Multiracial?"

I've wandered far from my original topic! But, I guess that only demonstrates how far a little research can take you.

A recent book by Randall P. Bezanson explores the issues surrounding our Constitutional freedom of religion. Within How Free Can Religion Be? the author explores popular issues including the separation of church and state and prayer in schools.

Looking for more information?

See the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center for pro/con viewpoint essays and background information (under "Reference"), as well as magazine, newspaper and journal articles.

For even more information, consider America: History and Life or one of the University Libraries' many other research databases (explore your perspective) (all PSU only).

Need help? Ask! All PSU or Altoona campus.

Scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine are testing a cocaine vaccine. Once received, the vaccine prevents cocaine users from experiencing a high from the drug. This vaccine has the potential for making great advances in the treatment of drug addicts--which currently involved 12-step programs and psychiatric counseling.

Google news (all)

Interested in researching this topic further? Questions to ask include:

What are the side effects?
If there are negative side effects, is the treatment reversible?
How does the vaccine work? Could similar treatments be developed for other illegal drugs?
Should the vaccine be administered to addicts only on a voluntary basis?
Should the vaccine be administered to drug offenders? What is the potential effect on the drug trade?

Need help? Ask! All PSU or Altoona campus.

The New York Times reports that official plans for Halloween activities in the Castro district of San Francisco have been canceled. In past years the parade and other activities have attracted crowds reminiscent of Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street. Historically, the Castro embraced a vibrant gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community, but in recent years, as the article goes on to explain, newcomers of all sexual orientations are attracted by the eclecticism the community offers. -- "Gay Enclaves Face Prospect of Being Passé," New York Times, October 30, 2007

In related news, the Los Angeles Times recently ran an editorial about the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592) being reviewed by Congress. The proposed legislation was motivated by the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, a hate-crime motivated by his sexual orientation. If approved, the legislation would add crimes motivated by the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation to the federal definition of a hate crime and improve the frequency and quality of investigations into such crimes. The bill has been introduced in every Congress since the 105th in 1999, but has yet to be ratified. -- Editorial, "Narrow the Hate Crimes Act," Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2007

Whether Greek or geek, hippie or hip-hop, we probably all belong to at least one subculture. A group where people just 'get' us, without explanation--or judgment.

Has mainstream America become more accepting of the LGBT subculture? And just what is "mainstream?"

For some basic information:
Start with the Try These First databases. (PSU only)

And, just about every subculture has a book or two on the subject. Search The CAT for the keyword "subculture," or the popular name for the subculture itself. -- There are also lots of books on hate crimes.

For more information:
Search GLBT research resources for more on GLBT (or LGBT) history and issues. Check out sociology and cultural anthropology resources for more on cultures and subcultures. Use criminal justice research resources to find out more about hate crimes. (mostly PSU only)

FBI Hate Crime Statistics

Search the Library of Congress' Thomas database for "matthew shephard" to learn more about the bills in Congress.

Need help? Ask! All PSU or Altoona only.

Man arrested for not showing receipt to Circuit City bag checker. Here's his side of the story.

Is it a crime? If so, who committed the crime, Righi or Circuit City?

Keywords: obstruction, business, customer, receipt

Research the laws in your state using LexisNexisState Capital (PSU only).

What's the difference between a bill, a statute, and a regulation?

A bill is a draft of a new law. When a bill is passed, it becomes a law (statute).

Statutes are the established, written law. Local statutes are often called ordinances. -- You'll want to search the statutes to find out the laws in your state.

Regulations are rules and administrative procedures established by government agencies to make things run smoothly. They are not laws, but have the power of law since they are established using authority granted by statutes (laws).

Russ H.

"The Battle to Stop Bird Flu" by Thomas Goetz, Wired (January 2006)
Keywords: computer modeling, disasters, epidemics

Computer simulations modeling what could happen in the face of disaster.

"Click Fraud Cold War" by Charles C. Mann, Wired (January 2006)
Keywords: business ethics, advertising

Scam artists invade Internet advertising.

"Don't Even Think About Lying" by Steve Silberman, Wired (January 2006)
Keywords: lie detection, brain scans

Improving the science behind lie detection.

Full text available online