chosen by your "librarian without walls," Marylaine Block mblock@netexpress.net

July 18

21 Incredibly Practical Tips To Survive the Real World
http://blog.lendingclub.com/2008/06/18/21-incredibly-practical-
tips-to-survive-the-real-world-a-must-read-for-new-college-grads/
Tips on managing your money, life, and career, including "do not buy a new car," "rent from your parents" (not live off them), "work your butt off," and "learn to cook 5 meals."

The African Cookbook
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/about_cb_wh.html
Recipes are browsable by country of origin and by categories. I haven't tried any of them yet, but some sound quite tasty.

America's Libraries in the 21st Century
http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/blog/?p=510
Video of the ALA panel discussion by three of our profession's visionary thinkers. "It's All Good" calls this the best 90-minute investment you'll make in your career all year."

Best Places To Live 2008 - Money Magazine
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/top100/
Always interesting, even to those who aren't thinking of relocating, but it would be nice if the factors considered included the thoughtfulness and foresight of the local and state government (though one of the recommendations for the 3rd best town, Naperville, IL, is its top-rated public library).

ChildCare.gov
http://www.childcare.gov/
Information for parents, childcare providers, researchers, and policy makers, including how to find high quality child care, how to pay for it, licensing laws and regulations, starting and operating a childcare business, research publications, resources in Spanish, etc.

Creativity and Neighborhood Development: Strategies for Community Investment
http://www.trfund.com/resource/creativity.html
The research reports here suggest ways to build on local cultural organizations and heritage to revitalize communities and local economies. Since public libraries are a natural part of, or even springboard for, any such effort, the resources and success stories here should be of considerable interest to library directors and boards.

Ecolabelling.org - ecolabels and green certification schemes
http://ecolabelling.org/
"Who's deciding what's green?" In the absence of agreed upon standards, pretty much anybody can call their products eco-friendly. This site, billed as "your independent global guide to 300 ecolabels," allows you to learn who awards the labels and how producers earn labels like "bird-friendly coffee," "Certified Humane Raised and Handled," "Cradle to Cradle Certification," etc.

Invention at Play
http://www.inventionatplay.org/
Play and invention go hand in hand, and this site offers not only numerous opportunities for play (puzzle blocks, an inventor's sketchbook, word play, etc.) but also a collection of inventors' stories.

PowerSet
http://www.powerset.com/
Acts as sort of a keyword index to Wikipedia, retrieving every article that mentions your topic. Very handy, since you're not likely to have thought of all the headings under which your topic might appear.

Science Faction
http://sciencefactionnyc.blogspot.com/
A blog exploring "links between neurology and human consciousness via art, culture, technology, music, design, and science."

Staying Safe While in the Water
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/outdoor/water_safety.html
And keeping your kids safe, in any water situation. The article begins with safety precautions in the bathroom and pool, and goes on to lakes, ponds, beaches, waterparks, etc. Includes tips on water safety for babies, and making your kids water-wise.

Ten Things You Should Know about the Dictionary
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/16146
Erin McKean, an editor for the Oxford English Dictionary, talks about important things most people don't understand about dictionaries. Length: 54:47.

July 11

7 Common Interview Questions: How To Prepare for a Job Interview
http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/common-interview-
questions-new-graduate/
Not only the questions, but answers that emphasize your "positive job accomplishments at every opportunity," and your own questions that "can uncover the employer’s wants and needs" and help you "tailor your answers to the job."

100 Useful Niche Search Engines You've Never Heard of
http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/06/19/
100-useful-niche-search-engines-youve-never-heard-of/
As all librarians, and few students know, sometimes you have to search in smaller, more specific haystacks for the very best needles for your purpose. While I wish they thought to mention that libraries make licensed databases of advanced research material available to their users, these niche search engines, for business, law, shopping, travel, jobs, news, etc., provide an excellent starting point (and for many users, a perfectly adequate ending point).

The Bicycle Tutor - Bike Repair Video Tutorials
http://bicycletutor.com/
I wish that when I was commuting to work by bicycle, I'd had this site available so I could have easily learned to do my own tuneups and repairs.

The Consumerist: Shoppers Bite Back
http://consumerist.com/
Despite its annoying navigationless design, this searchable blog does provide a lot of good advice, mingled with horror stories about atrocious products and service. Browse the archive page under the categories "advice" and "alerts" for some excellent tips, like "The Basics Of Insurance, Taxes, And 401(k)s For First-Time Employees," "Advice On How To Raise Financially Savvy Kids," etc. You can also browse the archives for specific companies and industries.

Drive Green - Future of Cars Special Report
http://www.popularmechanics.com/drivegreen
The folks at Popular Mechanics offer a nice sampling of tips on getting the most mileage out of your car, and stories on present and future super-efficient and/or alternative fuel vehicles.

Floodsmart.gov - National Flood Insurance Program
http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/
This might be a good time to feed your address in here to see how much at risk your property may be for flooding, get an estimate of flood insurance premiums, and even locate an agent. An interactive tool also allows you to estimate the damage costs for varying heights of water in your property

Food and Nutrition Center - MayoClinic.com
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/NU99999
"Find information on food and nutrition and what constitutes a healthy diet, healthy cooking and healthy eating." Includes menus, recipes, and other tips for healthy eating.

Girlshealth.gov
http://www.girlshealth.gov/
Created by the Office of Women's Health, this site covers all the important topics in an adult but not hopelessly uncool manner: understanding your changing body, fitness, nutrition, drugs/alcohol, emotions, relationships, bullying, safety, and your future. Also includes a glossary

National Traffic Scorecard
http://scorecard.inrix.com/scorecard/Default.aspx
Do you live in, or are you considering moving to, one of the 100 most congested metro areas, or drive through one of the 100 worst traffic bottlenecks? Do you know what the travel time index is in that area? Find out here, courtesy of traffic information company INRIX, which has analyzed traffic congestion "across nearly 50,000 miles of primary roadways in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas." (I have just moved to national congestion rank #90.)

Replacing Your Vital Documents
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicSafety/Hurricane_Katrina_
Recovery/Vital_Docs.shtml
And not just birth certificates and passports, but also bank records, medical information, tax returns, savings bonds, etc. It also links to advice on restoring documents damaged by fire or flood.

Sciencedebate2008: 14 questions the candidates should answer about science and America's future
http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=35
And also 7 questions for your candidates for Congress. I'd like to see reporters ask them these questions instead of worrying about things like flag pins and fist bumps; how about you?

Wikireadia
http://www.yearofreading.org.uk/wikireadia/index.php
This British resource calls itself "The first online good practice guide for anyone supporting readers." It's searchable and browsable by audience, area of work (advocacy, planning, partnerships, evaluation), place (in Great Britain), and organization. And like any wiki, if more knowledgeable people add to it, it will get better.

June 20-July 4

Author Author
http://weta.org/authorauthor/
This blog from WETA-TV's Bethanne Patrick features author interviews and book reviews. Interview subjects include Russell Banks, Richard Russo, Susan Coll, Alexander McCall Smith, and lots more. The archive is searchable.

Eat This, Not That: the No-Diet Weight Loss Soution from Men's Health http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/index.php
This companion site to the book of the same name offers a sampling of the same information: nutritional evaluations of both the best and the worst (heart- attack-to-go) foods at chain restaurants and supermarkets. Also features 15 Top Food Swaps, The 20 Worst Foods in America, and the 125 Best Supermarket Foods. Not yet present, but promised, is the Menu Decoder. If you know you're going to a chain restaurant for lunch, you might want to check this site first.

How To Clean Stuff
http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/
While the home page features some things you may not feel any particular need to clean, the site contains wonderfully useful and searchable advice on cleaning practically everything in your house and garage - flooring, fabrics, cars, plants, appliances, jewelry, electronics, and more.

The Internet Bird Collection: a Free Library of Videos of the World's Birds
http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/families.phtml
Brought to you by Handbook of the Birds of the World, these videos are searchable by family name, scientific name, common name, and geographical region. A delight for bird fanciers, and a useful tool for studying bird behavior.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google
If there was ever a case where I would have preferred not to be right, it's my fears about the effect the web could have on our attention spans - see my 1995 column, "Mostly Progress, Maybe, Sort of," <http://marylaine.com/myword/progress.html>. This piece in the Atlantic suggests that that has in fact happened to book readers - including himself - already.

The Recycling Center
http://www.therecyclingcenter.info/
Enter your zip code and get a map of recycling services near you for all kinds of materials. Clicking on each icon brings up the name of the service and the option to map a route to it. Links to the web sites for each service are provided below. There's also info on the recycling process and on green shopping.

Recovering from and Coping with Flood-Damaged Property
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/coping.shtm
Advice that business and home owners in Iowa will need in the weeks ahead as they seek to clean and repair their property, record damage for insurance claims, remove mold, and restore valued documents and photos. There's also info for our librarian colleagues in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City who will be trying to restore damaged buildings and collections.

Replacementdocs: the original web archive of game manuals
http://www.replacementdocs.com/download.php
A searchable trove of scanned manuals for computer and video games for all platforms.

Science Animations: Movies and Interactive Tutorial Links
http://science.nhmccd.edu/biol/animatio.htm
A great way of understanding scientific theories and phenomena, including plant life cycles, plate tectonics, bacterial growth, severe weather, how lasers works, and much, much more.

SimplyChecklists.com
http://www.simplychecklists.com/index.asp
Checklists can help you make sure you've covered the basics in your planning for virtually anything: outfitting a kitchen from scratch, financial papers you need to retain, things to rescue and take with you in an emergency, information to leave with the babysitter, things to have in your first aid kit, how to prepare for the job interview, etc.

Twitter for Librarians - the Ultimate Guide
http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/05/27/twitter-for-librarians-the-ultimate-guide/
Answers the question many librarians have about Twitter: Why would I want to use it?

USA.gov FAQ Knowledge Base
http://answers.usa.gov/
This database draws on FAQ files from every government agency.

June 13

150 Funniest Resume Mistakes, Bloopers and Blunders
http://jobmob.co.il/blog/funniest-resume-mistakes/
Those of us who read other people's resumes will be amused by these (and reminded of our own unprepossessing applicants), but new entrants to the labor market should view this as a "what not to do" list. Too much information and failure to proofread rank high on that list.

AltWeekly Award Winners
http://aan.org/news/aan_and_medill_announce_altweekly_awards_winners/Aan/
ViewArticle?oid=319314
A lot of valuable investigative journalism is done by these alternative newspapers, and if you arrow down far enough, you'll get links to some of the best from the past year. You'll also get links to award-winning columnists, bloggers, and beat writers (food, politics, arts, etc.).

Copenhagen Consensus 2008
http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Default.aspx?ID=788
"Over two years, more than 50 economists have worked to find the best solutions to ten of the world’s biggest challenges" - air pollution, disease, malnutrition, sanitation & water, conflicts, education, global warming, subsidies & trade barriers, terrorism, women & development. The results: "30 specific solutions to combat some of the biggest challenges facing the world." Executive summaries and the papers themselves are downloadable here.

ECHO - Exploring and Collecting History Online
http://echo.gmu.edu/
"a directory to 5,000+ websites concerning the history of science, technology, and industry." Search or browse by category (aviation/space technology, consumer tech, engineering, etc.), by historic period, or by content (audio, images, primary source, etc.).

Foreclosure Resources for Consumers - Federal Reserve
http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/foreclosure/default.htm.
Overextended homeowners should look here for ways of dealing with their dilemma. See also H.U.D.'s Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure <http://www.hud.gov/foreclosure/index.cfm>

Global Voices Online
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/
I've posted this before, but this is a good time to remind you what a great source it is for major international news events and long term issues like the China earthquake, the Burma cyclone, the food crisis, etc.

How Can I Recycle This?
http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/
The two bloggers, aided by suggestions from readers, respond to readers' questions on how to reuse and recycle random stuff. They've been doing this for a couple of years, so there's a sizable archive which can be searched or browsed.

Municipalist
http://www.municipalist.com/
Reviews blogs from governments at all levels.

National Biological Information Infrastructure [NBII]
http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt
Federal, state, and local government agencies, and their partners from universities, nonprofit agencies, industry, have created this "broad, collaborative program to provide increased access to data and information on the nation's biological resources." The site can be searched, browsed by broad categories (plants and animals, habitats, and ecological topics), and explored by geographic region. Its "toolkit" also provides a glossary, directories of experts, a publications library, and more.

The Reading and Book Buying Habits of Americans
http://www.zogby.com/random%20house%20final%20report.pdf
May offer librarians some interesting insights, even though the survey itself asks nothing about readers' use of libraries.

Science and Technology in the 2008 Presidential Election - AAAS
http://election2008.aaas.org/
Examines the platforms and policy positions of the candidates on issues of Competitiveness & Innovation, STEM Education & Workforce, Better Health for Americans, Energy & Environment, and National & Homeland Security. The site would be even more useful if it examined their voting records as well.

Silobreaker: Contextual and Graphical Search Results for news and current events
http://www.silobreaker.com/
Searches over 10,000 international print and media news sources, blogs, images, maps, and documents, and not only retrieves the results but constructs maps and graphical displays to provide context and related ideas.

June 6

20 Civil Liberties Laws Every American Should Know
http://www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com/library/20-civil-liberties-laws-
every-american-should-know.html
Understanding what your rights are is the first step toward protecting them. Here are explanations and resources on 20 important civil liberties people may not know they have.

2008 Eppy Awards
http://royal.reliaserve.com/eppy/winners2008.html
Editor and Publisher and Mediaweek choose the best journalistic achievements on media-affiliated web sites, both for overall and specific issue and event coverage(the I-35 Bridge Collapse, Diabetes, Hurricane Katrina recovery, etc.)

The Commonwealth Fund: Health Policy, Health Reform, and Performance Improvement
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/
The Commonwealth Fund gathers news and information and conducts original research on U.S. health issues including health care quality, health insurance, underserved populations, care of the elderly, etc. It offers a variety of charts, surveys, and other publications, including the currently featured assessment of how states' child health systems compare on overall performance, access, quality, costs, equity, and potential to lead healthy lives. It also tracks innovative ideas in health policy.

Freerangekids
http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/
A site devoted to giving kids "the freedom we had" when we were growing up. Offers a blog, news items, an ideas file, and a place to share recollections of our own free-ranging childhood.

Fruit and Veggie Guru
http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/
Aims to provide answers to all your questions on healthy fruits and veggies, including how can I get my kid to eat them. Provides recipes and info on health, organic produce, and specific fruits and veggies.

Fuel Economy
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
The federal government offers information on your own car's gas mileage and energy impact rating, where to find the lowest gasoline prices, and tips on improving your mileage.

Global Food Crisis
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/GlobalFoodCrisis?Readform
ReliefWeb provides news, resources, statistics, key documents, and FAQs about the current global food crisis.

In Praise of Men
http://marylaine.com/myword/praise.html
With Father's Day approaching, I'd like to point you to an old column of mine honoring men's virtues.

Omgili: Find Out What People Are Saying
http://www.omgili.com/
Searches more than 100,000 forums, newsgroups, and mailing lists.

Rockabye Baby! Tranform your favorite rock music into baby music
http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com/web/page.asp
Why wait? Warp your children now with charming, music-box-like instrumental renditions of your favorite music, be it the Beatles or Nine Inch Nails, Bob Marley or Smashing Pumpkins, rock and roll Christmas classics or U2, and others.

Stickk.com: Put a contract out on yourself
http://stickk.com/
A site that helps you meet your goals or deadlines by allowing you to make the commitment in public and have someone monitor your progress.

TweetScan - Real Time Twitter Search
http://tweetscan.com/
One answer to "why use Twitter" is that standard news and weather sites may fail to keep you informed during emergencies. This search engine tracks breaking news on Twitter. See how Twitter broke the story of the Colorado tornadoes <http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=143981> and and the China earthquake story <http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=143270>.

May 30

100 Must-Read Books: the Essential Man's Library
http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-essential-mans-library/
Editors of The Art of Manliness present their choices of "the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man" - a list in which adventure, war, philosophy, rebellion, libertarianism, romance, and how to succeed in business coexist peacefully. Let the arguments (and library displays) begin.

AutoMoto Portal - automotive industry news
http://www.automotoportal.com/
Brings you news about the industry from all over the world, including product and marketing info, photos, and design sketches from 53 car manufacturers. Search or browse by brand, vehicle type (including motorcycles), or concepts (safety, design, motor shows, concept cars, etc.).

BPlans.com: Business Plan Software and Free Sample Business Plans
http://www.bplans.com/
Though you get more information if you buy their software, the site offers quite a lot for free, including over 100 business plans, and expert advice on writing business plans, buying a business, growing one, marketing it, etc. There are also calculators for a variety of business purposes, a glossary, a blog, industry reports, and a database of businesses for sale.

Career Voyages
http://www.careervoyages.gov/index.cfm
Advice from the federal government, for both those just entering the workforce and for career changers, includes info on high growth industries, the 50 most in-demand occupations (including some skilled trades not requiring college degrees), apprenticeships, and brochures on careers and industries. There are also sections for parents and for career advisors. See also the BLS Career Information Page, http://www.bls.gov/k12/index.htm, which starts from the most critical question when choosing your life work: What do you like?

Discovery Health
http://health.discovery.com/
The Discovery Health cable channel offers both information and community here, on Diseases & Conditions, Healthy Living (Men's Health, Staying Young, Mental Health, Women's Health, etc.), Pregnancy and Parenting, Sex and Relationships. It also provides blogs, podcasts, discussion boards, videos, a glossary, and useful tools that help you find ratings for doctors and hospitals, and understand your prescriptions.

eRideShare.com Carpool Rideshare community
http://erideshare.com/
Looking to save gas through carpooling or ridesharing? Try entering your zip code to see if someone's driving where you need to go.

The Grocery Game - Coupons, Grocery Coupons
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/
You will have to invest $1 for a free four week trial, but you may well find that the free coupons and the weekly lists by zip code of lowest priced items and weekly sales save you a lot more than that at the grocery store cash register.

Guide to Psychology Blogs
http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/05/guide-to-psychology-blog-o-sphere-part.php
Jeremy Dean offers an annotated guide to the "most accessible and well-written psychology blogs available on the web."

Librarians: the Party People
http://marylaine.com/nhla2.html
The outline and links for a presentation I delivered at New Hampshire Library Association last week, full of examples of great library parties, competitions and stunts that got terrific, image-busting coverage in local media. Also see the outline for my other presentation, Serving Communities, Creating Community, <http://marylaine.com/nhla1.html>. My thanks to NHLA for a great conference experience.

NASA: Phoenix Mars Lander
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/
Up to the minute news and photos from the Mars expedition, as well as background on the Phoenix itself and the mission.

National Gallery of Art Podcasts
http://www.nga.gov/podcasts
Lectures, video presentations, and even music from the National Gallery, with RSS feeds available to notify you of new ones. If you're actually at the National Gallery of Art, you can download audio or cellphone tours.

Nearing Zero: Science and General Cartoons
http://www.nearingzero.net/
Nick Kim's cartoons are fun for anyone, but science teachers may want to use them on their classroom bulletin boards. Browse through his subject index or just click on his sampling of about 100 of his Best Cartoons.

May 16-May 23

All about Cities
http://allaboutcities.ca/
This blogger loves cities, and offers interesting observations about the ways they work - or sometimes don't work - for the people who live there. Recent posts include discussions of the unintended effects of banning smoking near public doorways, the real costs of suburban living, the "third places" that actually cultivate isolation, etc.

Books for Ears: Audio Book Reviews, helping you find the best audio books
http://booksforears.com/review-archive/
Search, or browse through categories like "Audio Books Read By The Author," "Children's Audio Books," "Funny Audio Books," "Sci-fi Audio Books," Women's Fiction Audio Books," and more. Each book has both a short review and a clickable longer one. There's not a lot here as yet, but enough to help you get started.

Digital Scriptorium
http://www.scriptorium.columbia.edu/
Columbia University's "image database of medieval and renaissance manuscripts that unites scattered resources from many institutions into an international tool for teaching and scholarly research."

Guardian Unlimited Audio & Podcasts
http://www.guardian.co.uk/podcasts
The British newspaper's audio articles in a wide range of categories will give Americans an international perspective on current events. Search or browse audio by categories. RSS feeds are available for the 13 subject-specific weekly podcasts.

The Happy List
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list-816245.html
Here's an idea worth imitating: Honor people not for their wealth or beauty or celebrity, but for their contributions to their nation's or community's happiness. Might you want to start something like this in your library?

Religion in 2008 Presidential Campaign - Pew Forum
http://pewforum.org/religion08/
Provides backgrounders on the candidates' religious backgrounds and positions on religious and ethical issues, and also on broader public issues ("Politics and the Pulpit, 2008," "Religious Groups' Presidential Candidates Preferences," etc.)

Scitopia.org
http://www.scitopia.org/scitopia/
Bibliographic access to over 3 million documents, including patents, government publications, and the publications of 15 scientific associations.

Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1
The Environmental Working Group has checked the ingredients of over 25,000 cosmetic and personal care products against 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. Search by product, industry or company for reports on any concerns about their ingredients.

Smart Money University
http://www.smartmoney.com/university/
Teaches the basics of investing - stocks, bonds, mutual funds, taxes, asset allocation, building portfolios, choosing a broker, and more. Includes a glossary of financial terms, and worksheets to help you assess your current finances and plan your financial future.

TeacherTube - Teacher Videos, Lesson Plan Videos, Student Videos
http://www.teachertube.com/
"an online community for sharing instructional videos." Search, or browse the channels for subject area or grade level. All channels have RSS feeds. Note that the service relies on users to flag inappropriate videos.

Top Secret Recipes
http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/home.asp
Duplicate at home some favorite restaurant and food producers' recipes, like Oreo cookies, Applebees' blackened chicken salad, KFC's cole slaw, Cheesecake Factory's Pineapple Pisco Sour, Girl Scout thin mint cookies, Starbucks' cranberry bliss bar, and lots more. You will have to agree to the terms of use.

Travel Tips for Globe-Trotting Geeks - Wired How-To Wiki
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Travel_Tips_for_Globetrotting_Geeks
Or how to avoid problems with your electronic equipment when traveling abroad. One of many helpful articles in the Wired How-To Wiki.

May 9

12th Annual Webby Award Nominees and Winners
http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=12
I love the Webby awards - I always discover some wondrous sites and brilliantly used techniques here. Web sites are nominated for topical categories, design, and best practices. The People's Choice winners are included as well.

AdLit.org - Adolescent Literacy
http://www.adlit.org/
A wonderfully useful site for librarians, teachers and parents working with adolescents. Provides a lot of articles and research on many issues in adolescent literacy (motivation, afterschool programs, parent tips, etc.), as well as classroom strategies, author interviews, booklists, an archived Ask the Expert feature, and more.

Animated Knots by Grog
http://animatedknots.com/
Learn to tie any kind of knot from these animations (adjust the pace to fast or slow). Select by name, or by the contexts in which they are needed (boating, climbing, dishing, etc.). Also includes information on rope care and safety.

Car and Driver New Car Buying Guide
http://www.caranddriver.com/buying_guide
I'm told that next to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, this is the magazine most frequently stolen from libraries, so it's handy that it's available online. Select by body style, market segment, or specific make and model. "Each vehicle entry features a capsule review, full specifications and pricing, links to full-length reviews, and more."

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: Health Policy, Media Resources, Public Health Education
http://kff.org/
An oldie but always invaluable goodie, this remains THE place to turn for research, polling data, and statistics on health issues in the US. Of particular note right now are the side by side summary of presidential candidates' health care proposals, and the poll on health problems experienced as a result of the downturn in the American economy.

Just One More Book = Podcast
http://www.justonemorebook.com/
An archived thrice-weekly podcast about "the children's books we love and why we love them." Searchable and browsable by subject categories, readers' age, format, language, protagonist, theme (bullying, adoption, making a difference, etc.). Also includes interviews with authors and illustrators.

Life-Expectancy Calculator
http://www.peterrussell.com/Odds/VirtualAge.php
Watch your virtual age and anticipated remaining years of life change with each answer you give to the lifestyle questions. It's a pretty dramatic reminder that health is one area in which virtue is consistently rewarded.

Open Source Mac - Free, Open-Source Software for Os X
http://www.opensourcemac.org/
Links take you to product information and downloads for virtually every application you might want.

Sphinn: News, Discussion Forums & Networking for Search & Internet Marketing Professionals
http://sphinn.com/
Reader-chosen hot news items for people who care a lot about search engines and internet marketing.

A Traditional Music Library of Folk Music, Tune Books, Songbooks and Sheet Music
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/
"Includes musical scores from which you can print sheet music, song sheets with lyrics and chords, tablature, chord diagrams, instrument info and music education and academic research resources including many secondary source books. There are also MIDI files for many of the songs." Categories include American Folk, Traditional Christian, Celtic, Children's Songs and Nursery Rhymes, Sea Shanties, Traditional Dance, etc.

Ultimate Rollercoaster - Roller Coasters, Theme Parks, Thrill Rides
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/
Fans can search here for roller coasters and theme parks around the world, learn about roller coaster history, browse the record book, read reviews, catch the latest news, scout upcoming events, chat with other fans, and lots more.

ZipSkinny
http://zipskinny.com/
Enter a zip code and get not only basic demographic data, but maps, school performance indicators, and comparative data with neighboring zip codes.

May 2

50 Best Cult Books
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/26/nosplit/boanotherlist126.xml
Here's exhibit and discussion material: "books that people wear like a leather jacket or carry around like a totem. The book that rewires your head..." This is the Telegraph's selection. What would you add to the list?

Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/
The Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division "provides a wide range of information and resources to enable the use of alternative fuels," including the locations of alternative fueling stations, laws and incentives, fuel economy, emissions, financial opportunities, industry trends, a glossary, links to related resources, and more.

Better Than Roses
http://marylaine.com/myword/mother.html
My thoughts about the best mother's day present you could ever give her.

Factory Tours USA
http://factorytoursusa.com/
This site helps you find educational, inexpensive, entertaining, and near-at-hand ways to spend a vacation day, watching people and machines make kaleidoscopes, motion pictures, furniture, cigars, Lionel trains, Simplicity patterns, wooden shoes, you name it.

Financial Planning for 20somethings - US News
http://www.usnews.com/20something
If your kids are entering the workforce knowing little about living on a tight budget, the ins and outs of buying cars and houses, or managing credit, taxes, savings, and investments, here's an excellent place for them to start learning.

GreenBiz
http://www.greenbiz.com/
"the leading information resource on how to align environmental responsibility with business success. We provide valuable news and resources to large and small businesses." You can pick up lots of tips and good ideas from all the searchable stories about what hundreds (maybe thousands) of individual businesses, big and small, are doing. There are also job postings for "green careers."

Health House Tip Sheets - American Lung Association
http://healthhouse.org/consumer/tipsheets.cfm
If your home is bad for your breathing and your health, check out these tip sheets on how to mitigate the problems. See also Indoor Air Quality Tips, http://airqualitytips.com/.

Lighthouse Directory
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/
"provides information and links for more than 9400 of the world's lighthouses." Whether you want to visit lighthouses or find out about their history or see lots of neat pictures, this is a good starting point.

Non-profit Guides - grant-writing tools for non-profit organizations
http://www.npguides.org/
Offers guidelines and examples of preliminary and full grant proposals, cover letters, and sample budgets, as well as FAQs and links to grantmakers, grant sources, and glossaries.

Patient Advocate Foundation
http://www.patientadvocate.org/
"Solving insurance and healthcare access problems," PAF provides research and resources, including links people to medical assistance programs in each state, direct co-pay assistance, insurance information, outreach programs for groups with special medical needs, and more. Among their reports: "Information for Reservists," "First My Illness, Now Job Discrimination," "Too Young to be Ill... A Practical Survival Guide for Caregivers of Children and Young Adults," "Your Guide to the Disability Process," etc. Also features an opportunity to ask a professional case manager about your specific problem.

Roadfood.com
http://www.roadfood.com/
If you're traveling by car, you'll no doubt be interested in the best inexpensive "sleeves-up food made by cooks, bakers, pitmasters, and sandwich-makers who are America’s culinary folk artists." Searchable by state and type of food - ethnic foods, delis, candy stores, drive-ins, oyster bars, pancake houses, small town cafes, etc.

The State of America's Libraries Report, 2008
http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/presscentera/piopresskits/2008statereport/execsummary.cfm#$468555
The news from this annual report is generally good for public libraries, and not so good for school libraries. You can read the executive summary and/or download the full pdf report.

April 25

50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time - Nerve Magazine
http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/nerveeditors/50GreatestComedySketches/01/
Links to greats from Monty Python, Your Show of Shows, Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and The Carol Burnett Show, among others. You should probably check this out at home, not work.

Academic Costume Code and Ceremony Guide
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=10625
With graduations approaching, this will answer many questions on proper protocol.

Allergy - MedlinePlus
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/allergy.html
If the pollen count is the most important part of the weather forecast for you, check out the info here on allergy symptoms, causes, treatments, prevention, and dealing with allergies in children.

BlogHer
http://www.blogher.com/
"The community for women who blog," featuring and archiving some of the best posts and responses, on a wide variety of issues. BlogHer also sponsors conferences, and offers podcasts and interviews.

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories
http://evilmadscientist.com/
A blog that will appeal to fans of BoingBoing, with its focus on weird and fun gadgetry and math or science-based projects (like cookies with fractal designs, edible origami, How to make a Sawed-off USB Key, etc.

Find a Food Bank
http://www.secondharvest.org/zip_code.jsp
Escalating food prices may not be causing food riots in the US, as they are abroad, but they are further straining many families that were already in economic trouble. America's Second Harvest offers this food bank finder, as well as opportunities to help out the needy. Also, check out the federal government's Food Stamp Program Home Page, http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/

Green Libraries
http://www.greenlibraries.org/index.html
"A website dedicated to documenting the greening of libraries in the United States and beyond." Includes case studies and a webliography/bibliography of resources.

International Travel: USA.Gov
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml
The federal government's regulations and advice on international travel, including passports, currency exchange rates, travel warnings, health information for travelers, international drivers license info, and more.

SI Vault: 54 Years of Sports Illustrated History
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
Searchable access to SI's articles, photos, covers, topical galleries, and video. Searches can be restricted by decade. The search engine is great at pulling up players and teams, not so good at searching for concepts like "farm team." This can provide a very nice history of your favorite teams in major sports leagues.

South Carolina State Library YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/scstatelibrary
This is a great idea: creating a channel on YouTube for your library to promote programs, campaigns, information literacy, and reading.

Titlepage TV: Passionate Conversations about Books
http://www.titlepage.tv/
"At Titlepage we feel we don't hear enough from the people who write the greatest stories of our time. So, we've created this virtual soapbox; a 21st century version of the Algonquin Round Table." Only a few episodes exist as yet, but there's also a blog, and open community discussions.

Virginia Tech University April 16, 2007 Prevail Archives
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/prevail/
The official site for VTU's historical materials on the mass shootings. Includes biographies of the slain, condolences received by the university, archived news and notices, and a video tribute.

April 18

The #1 Song on This Date in History
http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm
For those ever-popular questions about what was happening in the world on the day you were born. Select the month, then the date, and arrow down to the year.

The 10 Pieces of US Infrastructure We Must Fix Now - Popular Mechanics http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4257814.html?series=53
Popular Mechanics addresses an issue that has somehow been totally absent from the discussions of our political candidates: the fact that our roads and bridges and dams are falling apart.

Budget Travel
http://www.budgettravel.com/
The website for this popular magazine offers a fair amount of free content: trip ideas, tips from readers and experts, tools for planning your travel, "real deals," "true stories," slide shows, videos, and more. Even those who will never budge from their comfortable chairs may enjoy this.

Climate Counts
http://climatecounts.org/
Those who prefer to spend their money with companies with responsible environmental practices can start here, where, so far, 56 companies are rated on their climate impact and efforts to reduce it. The FAQ explains the methods used to arrive at the rating.

Ex Libris - Bye Bye
http://marylaine.com/exlibris/
My final ExLibris piece is a retrospective of some of the columns I think are still valuable advice for helping libraries not only survive but thrive.

Library Use Value Calculator - Vermont Library Association
http://www.vermontlibraries.org/library-use-value-calculator
A do-it-yourself quiz that allows library patrons to calculate what the services they use are worth.

Low-Tech Magazine
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/
Invites us to consider the possibility that 20th, and even 19th-century ways of doing things may be as good as, or even better, than some of the things we're doing now. Also explores possible antidotes to technologically-induced problems.

Motorcycle safety - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.d7975d55e8abbe089ca8e410dba046a0/
Legislators and transportation policy planners will find this roundup of data and research valuable, including the review of state helmet laws, studies on the effects of repeal of helmet laws, costs of injuries from motorcycle crashes, and more.

The Public Software Foundation
http://publicsoftwarefoundation.org/
"Created to ensure that quality, Open Licensed software is available to borrow at public lending institutions." Includes info on existing software and available documentation, how to download for your library, and use the forum to solicit local volunteers to work with you.

Rotowire: Fantasy Sports Info and Games
http://www.rotowire.com/index.htm
Click on the sport of your choice and get loads of statistics, news, player information, injury and scouting reports, depth charts, expert opinion, and more.

Science Research Portal
http://www.scienceresearch.com/search/
Bibliographic access to content from publishers of journals and technical books as well as the LC catalog and science.gov. Search all, or restrict by discipline.

StoryTubes
http://www.storytubes.info/index.html
A contest for kids to make short videos about their favorite books. "Kids across the United States in Grades 1-6 are invited to participate in this national contest - and, each of the four winners will select a school, library or educational association to receive $1,000 in books."

April 11

Environmental Journalism Today
http://www.sej.org/news/index2.htm
"The source for journalists reporting on the environment." Of particular interest: current news stories on environment issues, and the "Tip Sheet" pointing to resources for possible future stories: documents, events, reports, trends, and other useful data.

Facing Up to the Nation's Finances
http://www.facingup.org/
Think tanks from both the right and left come together to discuss the long-term challenges of the U.S. federal budget.

Historic Baseball Resources, Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/topics/baseball/index.html
LoC has an extraordinary collection of biographical resources, baseball guides, cards and other images, sheet music about baseball, video, and more.

Home Inventory Guide
http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0100-consumers/0060-information-guides/0040-residential/upload/Home-Inventory-Guide.pdf
You know how you're supposed to do an inventory of your possessions so in the event of loss, you can prove your ownership to your insurance company? The California Department of Insurance's wonderfully helpful collection of information guides (http://insurance.ca.gov/0100-consumers/0060-information-guides/) includes this fill-in-the-blank workbook for every room in your house, with space to attach photos.

infodoodads
http://infodoodads.com/
A collaborative blog by five information enthusiasts who "review and discuss existing and new tools, services, and technology for finding information on the internet."

InfoTubey Award Winners - Computers in Libraries 2007
http://www.infotoday.com/cil2007/InfoTubies.shtml
See the winners of this annual competition recognizing excellence in library-related YouTube productions. This year's best include a vlog, a library holiday song, and patrons who love their library. Since these are on YouTube, of course, each selection leads you to some other nifty library videos.

Making Web Sites Accessible for Everyone
http://www.washington.edu/computing/accessible/index.html
The University of Washington offers information of use to anyone operating a web site, including why accessibility should be a goal, how to achieve it, and answers to other frequently asked questions.

National League of Cities
http://www.nlc.org/
A place for city officials to share their best practices, advocacy, resources, research (including trend data and annual reports on the state of America's cities and fiscal conditions). Browsable by broad topics (public safety, transportation, sustainability, youth, inclusiveness, etc.), and searchable, though the results format is remarkably uninformative about the items retrieved.

National Parks Traveler: Commentary, News, and Life in America's Parks
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/
Should be enjoyable to anyone planning to visit US national parks. Its articles, news items and book recommendations are searchable and browsable by date, topic, and "Fireside Reads."

PicAnswers: Post a Picture and Ask a Question
http://picanswers.com/
Here's one more way to deal with some of the hardest "what is it" questions we get. The archive of questions and readers' answers is searchable and browsable by broad category.

Sounds of America - National Museum of American History
http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/collections/music.cfm?key=1228
"an ongoing series of programs featuring music made and played in the U.S.A," including programs on African-American music traditions of New Orleans, Women in American Music, and Freedom Songs of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

WorldwideScience
http://worldwidescience.org/
"a global science gateway—accelerating scientific discovery and progress through a multilateral partnership to enable federated searching of national and international scientific databases." Primarily a bibliographic source, the document descriptions, abstracts and occasional full texts available within the 32 databases appear to be free.

April 4

100 Calorie Snacks http://www.uaex.edu/depts/FCS/EFNEP/Lessons/Healthy_Snacking_Children/
100_Calorie_Snacks.pdf
If you like the idea of limited calorie snacks but don't want to spend the money on the prepackaged ones, here are 20 ideas for do-it-yourself 100 calorie snacks. See the whole range of information on healthy eating at the parent site, http://www.uaex.edu/depts/FCS/EFNEP/Lessons/

America in 9 Innings
http://marylaine.com/myword/innings.html
Have you thought of celebrating the return of major league baseball with a display of baseball novels? If you need some suggested titles, you could start with this column, and with the recommendations in my annotated list of sports fiction, http://marylaine.com/bookbyte/sports.html

The Colors of Your College Degree
http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/11/06/the-colors-of-your-college-degree/
With college graduations approaching, the eternal questions are being raised again: what color should your hood and tassel be based on your major? While you're there, you may enjoy browsing through the rest of the ColourLovers site, which is full of visual treats.

The Documentary Blog
http://www.thedocumentaryblog.com/
For those of you glorying in the current explosion of documentary film, here's the place to be for news and reviews of new films,

eCycling - Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/
If your spring cleaning includes getting rid of old electronic equipment, you'll be interested in the EPA's tips on safe and legal disposal.

The Elephant Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yihq8BIhL9c
If you have little ones, you should show them this delightful song and video, and give them the pleasure of correcting the silly grownup too.

EVoting Booth - Helping Make America a People's Democracy
http://www.e-votingbooth.com/
Suppose that YOU got to vote directly on bills before Congress. That's the idea behind this nonpartisan site: register, sign in, look for the legislation that concerns you, and cast your vote. "Then, e-VotingBooth provides the 'election results' to every member of Congress and the President before the Final Bill Vote in Congress."

Hear the Choirs Sing
http://www.geocities.com/hearchoirs/
A directory of sites offering choral music sound clips. Brose alphabetically by song title or search by composer or keyword. Also of interest: the Choral Wiki, http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page, with information on scores, composers, and texts and translations.

Library of Congress Webcasts
http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/index.php
Listen here to events at the Library of Congress: lectures, symposia, poetry readings, performing arts events, and more. My readers will be especially interested in all the writers who spoke at last year's Book Fest series.

MetaCarta Geosearch News
http://geosearch.metacarta.com/
Wherever you are, find the news about the places that interest you. Search by place and/or keyword, and click on the headlines that interest you for the full story.

VietNam Veterans Memorial - the Wall
http://go.footnote.com/thewall
An interactive display allows friends and relatives to attach tributes, memories and photos to any of the 58,256 names on this virtual version of the memorial.

The World According to Newspapers - Online Journalism Blog
http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2008/03/23/the-world-according-to-newspapers/
These cartograms of the world distort the size of countries to reflect the amount of attention focused on them in 2007 by a variety of the world's newspapers.

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Neat New Stuff I Found This Week
by Marylaine Block
Copyright 1999-

Send comments, or suggestions for additional links to mblock@netexpress.net.