I know the word "free" often makes us all sit up and take notice-after all, who doesn't like being able to get something for nothing? Well, I have discovered that there are a plethora (I have loved that word ever since I first heard it spoken by El Guapo in The Three Amigos) of free online education courses from the article, "How to Go to College for Free", in Reader's Digest. The list in the article was not extensive, but I took the author's advice and searched the web for "Free Online Courses" and was blown away by the number of educational opportunities that are available to anyone willing to take the time to devote to expanding their knowledge.
First, I must mention the library has a huge CD and DVD collection of free courses that can be found by typing in "The Great Courses" as a keyword search in the catalog. At this time there are over 493 items! Some of the selections we have are, "The Origin of Civilization", "The Medieval World" and "Building Great Sentences" to name a few.
There are also databases through the library's Resource Center that customers can access using their library card from their home computer. Some of the great learning tools you can use are:
--The Learning Express Library has hundreds of tests that can be taken to brush up on skills for college or different careers that require tests such as police officers, civil service, or nursing.
--Our BYKI language database allows you to practice on 80 different languages.
--The Global Road Warrior allows you to study different countries and cultures
--and, our huge collection of Info-Trac databases have thousands of articles from newspapers, journals, and magazines on everything from pop-culture to physics.
The author of the Reader's Digest article, David Hochman, really pumped up my geek factor and through my own Google search I found so many websites dedicated to providing open courseware that I couldn't wait to try them all. I managed to contain my enthusiasm and whittled my ever-growing list to what I think are some of the best, which are:
--Openculture.com One of the best websites out there! Not only is there access to free educational courses, but there are hundreds of links to audiobooks, podcasts, and over 300 hundred movies that you can watch online. Click the link on the right side of the page under the caption "Videos and Movies", then click "Free Movies Online". You can watch classics such as Bringing Up Baby, Moby Dick or Yellow Submarine. The "Intelligent Videos" link will take you to an A-Z listing of documentary websites, some of which include the "Australian Screen Archive", the "Europa Film Treasures" or "Snagfilms", which has a huge offering of films.
--Khanacademy.org is a wonderful learning site for people of all ages. It has math lessons ranging from developmental math to trigonometry. Science lessons to include, chemistry, biology and cosmology. All done in video no less! Underneath the video it will have links to download or get exercises.
--Academicearth.org This site has courses from art to writing, with many of the them taught by some of the country's top scholars, such as Donald Kagan from Yale, Walter Lewin from MIT and Michael Sandel from Harvard.
--TheProblemsite.com has hundreds of educational puzzles-math games, word games, strategy games and a section on reference and resource, plus daily puzzles and even a section for juniors.
Also, for you Apple enthusiasts out there that may not have yet run across iTunesU, this is another great application that can be used to learn online and can be accessed right from your device or on your computer through the iTunes software.
These are just a small sampling of places on the internet where you can get free courses to help further your education or to help enrich your life, so the next time someone asks if you know what a quasar is or how the Hawaiian islands were formed you will be able to answer without a blank look on your face!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spring is upon us!
Ignore for the moment the fact that there was ice in the bird waterer last week, and that we may still get a freeze well into April.
Gardener’s spring is upon us, that time when the buds are swelling, the earthworms are shallow under the mulch, and gardeners get distracted if they spend too much time indoors on the weekends. Some of the fruit trees are already in bloom (and we cross our fingers that they won’t get nipped by a late freeze), many bulbs are starting to emerge, and a fine winter crop of gardening catalogs are awaiting attention.
At the Libraries, we are seeing many gardening books checking out as people plan their gardens. We are also seeing new and increasing interest in what has come to be called mini-farming – what one book* defines as “becoming more economically independent on a small holding.” Another name for mini-farming is backyard homesteading, which reflects the pioneer spirit and desire for independence that leads people to grow their own food.
Mini-farming encompasses not only high-yield vegetable gardening but also raising chickens and other livestock, food preservation, disaster preparedness, and self-reliant living – all of the old-timey rural skills that were once common across America.
To help people brush up on these skills or learn them anew, your library has developed a new resource: the Mini-Farming LibGuide (LibraryGuide).
In the Mini-Farming LibGuide you will find selected library items and links to useful City of Albuquerque and Extension Service resources. Follow the helpful list of links on related subjects to search your library’s Encore search & discovery engine for titles on those subjects.
Here are a few of those subjects:
• beekeeping
• biodynamic gardening• build a chicken coop
• canning food• community gardens
• country recipes• disaster preparedness• food preservation• growing your own food• kitchen gardens
• old-fashioned recipes• raised bed gardening• raising chickens• rural home economics• self-reliant living
• self-sufficiency• sustainable gardening• urban farming
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System is here to help you in your quest to grow good food for your family, and make the most of your land!
* The Backyard Homestead, Mini-Farm & Garden Log Book by John Jeavons, J. Mogador Griffin and Robin Leler
Written by Scott, ABCLS Staff Member.
Gardener’s spring is upon us, that time when the buds are swelling, the earthworms are shallow under the mulch, and gardeners get distracted if they spend too much time indoors on the weekends. Some of the fruit trees are already in bloom (and we cross our fingers that they won’t get nipped by a late freeze), many bulbs are starting to emerge, and a fine winter crop of gardening catalogs are awaiting attention.
At the Libraries, we are seeing many gardening books checking out as people plan their gardens. We are also seeing new and increasing interest in what has come to be called mini-farming – what one book* defines as “becoming more economically independent on a small holding.” Another name for mini-farming is backyard homesteading, which reflects the pioneer spirit and desire for independence that leads people to grow their own food.
Mini-farming encompasses not only high-yield vegetable gardening but also raising chickens and other livestock, food preservation, disaster preparedness, and self-reliant living – all of the old-timey rural skills that were once common across America.
To help people brush up on these skills or learn them anew, your library has developed a new resource: the Mini-Farming LibGuide (LibraryGuide).
In the Mini-Farming LibGuide you will find selected library items and links to useful City of Albuquerque and Extension Service resources. Follow the helpful list of links on related subjects to search your library’s Encore search & discovery engine for titles on those subjects.
Here are a few of those subjects:
• beekeeping
• biodynamic gardening• build a chicken coop
• canning food• community gardens
• country recipes• disaster preparedness• food preservation• growing your own food• kitchen gardens
• old-fashioned recipes• raised bed gardening• raising chickens• rural home economics• self-reliant living
• self-sufficiency• sustainable gardening• urban farming
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System is here to help you in your quest to grow good food for your family, and make the most of your land!
* The Backyard Homestead, Mini-Farm & Garden Log Book by John Jeavons, J. Mogador Griffin and Robin Leler
Written by Scott, ABCLS Staff Member.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Looking for new movies? New music?
We get a lot of questions about borrowing media, especially DVDs & music CDs. How many can you check out on one card? (Ten DVDs. Up to 15 audiobooks & music CDs, combined.) How do you find them? (Most non-documentary films are filed by title. Non-fiction movies & music CDs are filed by call number.) Do you have a list of all the movies at this branch? (No. You can look up in the catalog a featured list of all the movies in the system, but it's a long list. You can do a keyword search with the word "videorecording" & limit to a branch instead of "view entire collection", but it's still pretty unwieldy for browsing purposes.)To find movies in the catalog, you can search by title, director, & actors, or subject headings such as "Comedy films". To find music in the catalog, you can search by artist name, album title, song title, or subject headings like "Rock music". Also check out our Search Tips for more catalog searching tricks, or just stop by any Reference Desk & ask for assistance.
A lot of times, though, you're probably wondering if ABC Libraries have the latest blockbuster, an indie film you missed because it only showed here for a week, or an album by a band you just heard on the radio. Something that just won an Oscar or a Grammy. In short, you want to know what's new. What the library system just added.
Now you can! We now have New on DVD & New Music guides that customers can access to see what the library system just ordered. New on DVD will feature the latest adult & children's movies that we've acquired, updated monthly. New Music shows you the music CDs that ABC Libraries have ordered in 2011, divided into genres like "Pop/Rock" & "Latin/World". The New Music guide will also be updated monthly, so keep checking back for new titles!
We hope you enjoy these new guides. Don't forget, you can also suggest a purchase if there's an item (book, DVD, or CD) that you would like to suggest! (This is not a guarantee that it will be purchased.)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Publishing Pie: An Author's View
An interesting PowerPoint presentation by one of our literary heroes, Margaret Atwood.
Visit her Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood blog to read more about it.
Visit her Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood blog to read more about it.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Furniture for Bibliophiles
What reader could not use this chair? Available from Glasgow's Timorous Beasties for only, um, £4,360.84. La Bibliochaise is made of wood & leather, water varnished in black and white as standard. (Other colours are available upon request.) La Bibliochaise can hold 5 meters of books.
Or maybe you'd prefer The Bookinist?
How about the Dondola?Also check out: This Into That, for furniture made of books; the Reading furniture by Remy van Oers; the pyramidal shelf; the Book Nest Sofa; or the Bookseat. Or, try making your own! Check the catalog under the subject heading Furniture making.
If you can afford any of the pieces mentioned in this article, perhaps you'd like to drop in at New York City's concept luxury boutique hotel, Library Hotel. "Each of the ten guestroom floors at the Library Hotel in New York City are dedicated to one of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System: Social Sciences, Literature, Languages, History, Math & Science, General Knowledge, Technology, Philosophy, The Arts and Religion." Here's their Writers Den/Bookmarks Lounge:
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Japan Disaster
There is a lot of news out there about Japan, & abcreads does not purport to be expert on the situation, but we do offer some links of interest.
Parents! In the wake of the news about Japan, are your kids asking you about natural disasters? You can find books @ your library to teach them about earthquakes & tsunamis, or consider checking out Good Answers to Tough Questions about Disasters by Joy Berry. Adults might also want to read about Disaster relief.
For more information on Japan, you could search the catalog, check out the library's database Global Road Warrior or visit the CIA-World Factbook.
Also consider:
Japan tsunami - before and after pictures
These GeoEye satellite photographs give an idea of the destruction in the wake of the tsunami along Japan's coastline.
Japan earthquake: Aid flows in from across the world
Even the mayor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar City told Reuters on Sunday the city is donating $50,000 to the "sisters and brothers" of Japan following the earthquake and tsunami. "I know $50,000 is not a lot of money for a country like Japan but it is a show of appreciation from the Kandahar people," said Kandahar Mayor Ghulam Haidar Hamidi.
Media: World must learn lessons from Japan disaster
Relief options
Japan Disaster Relief: Where to Give
A list of organizations contributing to the relief effort. You can even text to donate!
Google Crisis Response
Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake
To Help Animals in Japan:
There are several organizations that will take your donations to help the animals affected by the devastation in Japan. Go to the Conscious Cat website to find the following organizations: World Vets, American Humane Association's Red Star Animals Emergency Services, The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, The Animal Refuge Kansai, Japan Cat Network with Heart Tokushima and Animals Friends Niigata which has formed the Japan Animal Rescue and Support, and finally, the Animal Miracle Network Foundation.
Miscellaneous science
Quake Moves Japan Closer to U.S. and Alters Earth’s Spin
Japan Earthquake: Doomsday? Or Just a Restless Earth?
Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti: Scientists Say No, There's Not a Trend; Read Why
Why earthquake-prone Japan relies on nuclear power
The National Library of Medicine has resources that may help with understanding the health issues related to the devastating Japan earthquake, tsunami and possible nuclear power plant disruptions. Resources from NLM, US federal agencies, and other key resources are listed on the new topic page “Disasters in Japan 2011”.
Parents! In the wake of the news about Japan, are your kids asking you about natural disasters? You can find books @ your library to teach them about earthquakes & tsunamis, or consider checking out Good Answers to Tough Questions about Disasters by Joy Berry. Adults might also want to read about Disaster relief.
For more information on Japan, you could search the catalog, check out the library's database Global Road Warrior or visit the CIA-World Factbook.
Also consider:
Japan tsunami - before and after pictures
These GeoEye satellite photographs give an idea of the destruction in the wake of the tsunami along Japan's coastline.
Japan earthquake: Aid flows in from across the world
Even the mayor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar City told Reuters on Sunday the city is donating $50,000 to the "sisters and brothers" of Japan following the earthquake and tsunami. "I know $50,000 is not a lot of money for a country like Japan but it is a show of appreciation from the Kandahar people," said Kandahar Mayor Ghulam Haidar Hamidi.
Media: World must learn lessons from Japan disaster
Relief options
Japan Disaster Relief: Where to Give
A list of organizations contributing to the relief effort. You can even text to donate!
Google Crisis Response
Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake
To Help Animals in Japan:
There are several organizations that will take your donations to help the animals affected by the devastation in Japan. Go to the Conscious Cat website to find the following organizations: World Vets, American Humane Association's Red Star Animals Emergency Services, The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, The Animal Refuge Kansai, Japan Cat Network with Heart Tokushima and Animals Friends Niigata which has formed the Japan Animal Rescue and Support, and finally, the Animal Miracle Network Foundation.
Miscellaneous science
Quake Moves Japan Closer to U.S. and Alters Earth’s Spin
Japan Earthquake: Doomsday? Or Just a Restless Earth?
Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti: Scientists Say No, There's Not a Trend; Read Why
Why earthquake-prone Japan relies on nuclear power
The National Library of Medicine has resources that may help with understanding the health issues related to the devastating Japan earthquake, tsunami and possible nuclear power plant disruptions. Resources from NLM, US federal agencies, and other key resources are listed on the new topic page “Disasters in Japan 2011”.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Literary Links
10 Literary Novels for Genre Readers
"There are plenty of guides to gateway books for literary readers to discover SF/F, but very few to introduce primarily genre readers to literary works they would find enjoyable. And so, in the spirit of reconciliation, I've compiled this short list of books that fill the gap between speculative and so called realistic fiction."
The Indie Sci-Fi & Fantasy Bestseller List (February 23rd)
2010 Agatha Awards Nominees
The 2010 Agatha Awards will be given for materials first published in the United States by a living author during the calendar year 2010 (January 1-December 31), either in hardcover, as a paperback original, or e-published by an e-publishing firm. The Agatha Awards honor the "traditional mystery."
15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will
"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"
Books That Rocked Your World at 16 But Fall Flat Now
"[T]hese are a few of the books that knocked you off the roof when you were a kid, that fall flat to re-read right now (plus a few suggestions on grown-up alternatives)."
Cult Books That Need to Be Adapted for the Big Screen
"It’s been a big few weeks for cult novels getting their own film adaptations. A New Yorker profile of Guillermo del Toro earlier this month provided a window into the preparations for the director’s version of the H.P. Lovecraft novella At the Mountains of Madness. Over the weekend, we got out first glimpse at the unintentionally hilarious-looking, Tea Party-approved Atlas Shrugged movie. And yesterday, the news broke that Michel Gondry is taking on Ubik, one of Philip K. Dick’s weirdest books. All of that got us thinking about some of our favorite cult novels that are dying for big-screen adaptations. Check them out, and add your own..."
Fictional Feasts: Mouth-Watering Moments of Literary Gastronomy
From turducken to hot chocolate with chicken sandwiches.
"There are plenty of guides to gateway books for literary readers to discover SF/F, but very few to introduce primarily genre readers to literary works they would find enjoyable. And so, in the spirit of reconciliation, I've compiled this short list of books that fill the gap between speculative and so called realistic fiction."
The Indie Sci-Fi & Fantasy Bestseller List (February 23rd)
2010 Agatha Awards Nominees
The 2010 Agatha Awards will be given for materials first published in the United States by a living author during the calendar year 2010 (January 1-December 31), either in hardcover, as a paperback original, or e-published by an e-publishing firm. The Agatha Awards honor the "traditional mystery."
15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will
"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"
Books That Rocked Your World at 16 But Fall Flat Now
"[T]hese are a few of the books that knocked you off the roof when you were a kid, that fall flat to re-read right now (plus a few suggestions on grown-up alternatives)."
Cult Books That Need to Be Adapted for the Big Screen
"It’s been a big few weeks for cult novels getting their own film adaptations. A New Yorker profile of Guillermo del Toro earlier this month provided a window into the preparations for the director’s version of the H.P. Lovecraft novella At the Mountains of Madness. Over the weekend, we got out first glimpse at the unintentionally hilarious-looking, Tea Party-approved Atlas Shrugged movie. And yesterday, the news broke that Michel Gondry is taking on Ubik, one of Philip K. Dick’s weirdest books. All of that got us thinking about some of our favorite cult novels that are dying for big-screen adaptations. Check them out, and add your own..."
Fictional Feasts: Mouth-Watering Moments of Literary Gastronomy
From turducken to hot chocolate with chicken sandwiches.
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