Reference question

Have you ever come to the library to ask a reference question? Reference questions are what you ask when you're looking for information. Recent SCCS reference questions have centered on Mrs. Battistoni's World War II research project and Ms. Skidmore's poetry extravaganza.

"What were storm troopers?" and "What is a concrete poem?" both qualify as reference questions.

For a funny look at reference questions at academic (university) libraries, check out the video at this link that the American Library Association posted as part of Library Week in the US. (All examples are of real references questions!)

Kosovo, a new nation?

Kosovo, a small, landlocked political unit in southeastern Europe has declared its independence. The United States and some Western European countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent nation. There is a full, interesting article available through the New York Times, if you want to read more about the situation.

What does this have to do with technology and reading at SCCS, you may ask. Well, it's interesting to see the changes in the political maps as are represented by the atlases in the library. In the older ones, for example, the Soviet Union covers a broad swath of land from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. In our current Atlas, however, Russia is quite a bit smaller and there are more than a dozen new countries! Will Kosovo show up as a country in next year's atlas, or will it still be a part of Serbia? This will be a reflection of the political thought of the publishers and countries around the world.

Remember, while Wikipedia can keep up with these rapid changes faster than the print versions, there is little editorial review, and mistakes and bias exist. Take a look at Wikipedia's article on Kosovo and compare it with the New York Time's. Do you see differences?

Green research

Environmental awareness is growing in many businesses and schools throughout the world. EBSCO, our subscription database here at SCCS, just announced that it will be making efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. This means they will be lowering their production of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and enacting environmentally friendly practices at many different levels. Read EBSCO's press release here.

It's good to know that one of the resources we use here at SCCS is taking a leadership role on this important issue.