New databases at ASL part 2

Here are three more new databases to which the Arkansas State Library provides access.

Gale Psychology Collection: This set explores what makes people "tick" from childhood to death. This collection gives individuals a basic understanding of the study of the mind, emotions and how the human mind develops -- and diminishes -- over time. Provides access to 200 subject-appropriate full-text periodicals, including The Journal of Psychology, Clinical Psychiatry News, The Exceptional Parent, and Psychology Today.

Pop Culture Collection: This collection provides useful information for any researcher in a social science, history, art, or liberal arts course. It can also be useful for the general reader who is looking for articles from popular magazines. The collection is made up of 100 subject-appropriate periodicals, which are predominantly full-text. Titles include Allure, Atlantic Monthly, Jet, and Public Opinion Quarterly.

Nursing and Allied Health Collection: All aspects of the Nursing profession -- from direct patient care to health care administration -- are covered in this collection. Including nearly 400 titles, this collection's current and authoritative content will be of use to both professionals already working in the field as well as students pursuing a nursing-focused curriculum. Several of the titles included are Chemist & Druggist, Nursing Times, and ED Nursing.

To try these and other databases, start at the database page on our website. For questions, please use the Ask a Librarian form on our website.

New databases at ASL part 1

The Arkansas State Library has more than 130 databases available for use, on a range of subjects from agriculture to military history to education and business. Over the next few weeks I will be highlighting some of the newer databases. All of the databases are available for use in the library, and many are available to state employees at home or work through remote access. For more information about the database policies or to apply for access, visit the circulation page of our website.

The first database I want to share is the Culinary Arts Collection. According to the description on the database home page "The Culinary Arts Collection includes 250 major cooking and nutrition magazines as well as reference content from Delmar, Cengage Learning. Coverage includes thousands of searchable recipes, restaurant reviews, and industry information."

What does this mean for you? It means you can get recipes and other articles from such popular magazine as Real Simple, Redbook, Good Housekeeping and Natural Health, as well as research from scholarly journals, and food industry information from industry-specific magazines. For example, a search for "carrot cake" turns up 104 magazine articles and 6 news items. A search for "diabetes" returns 1970 magazine articles, 681 academic journal articles, 2 books, and 5661 news items. These results can then be narrowed down, depending on what you are looking for. You can also search specifically by publication, using the "Browse Publications" list. Many of the publications have articles available in full text, meaning that you do not have to go find the print copy.

To try this and other databases, start at the database page on our website. For questions, please use the Ask a Librarian form on our website.

Health Insurance Reform

Health insurance reform is a hot topic right now. Don't wait to get your news about it second or third hand - go straight to the source: this special White House page. There is a state by state feature where you can look up how your state would be impacted by proposed changes to health insurance.

For more information about specific insurance reform in Arkansas, go to the Arkansas Health Insurance Resource Center web page.

The Arkansas State Library also has many books on the subject of health insurance and health care. You can search the catalog yourself from our website for books and government documents or you can fill out the Ask the Librarian form.

Reference Services: Obituary Searches

Obituary searching is one of the many services that the reference staff of the Arkansas State Library perform for the public. We will search the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for patrons who provide us with a name and date of death. The search covers approximately one week following the provided date.

The Arkanas Gazette archives go back to 1889 on microfilm, and the Democrat-Gazette records are available through an online subscription from 1984 to the present.

Requests can be made in person, over the phone, and through the Ask A Librarian form on our website.

It's raining, it's pouring

The weather in Little Rock has been damp lately, to say the least. This has put me in a weather sort of mood, so here are a few resources about the weather that are available at the Arkansas State Library:

• Let's start off with the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Weather by Paul Stein (QC 854 .S74 2000). This covers the basics of the weather, everything from Acid Rain to Mesocyclones to Winter Storms and Zonal Flow. The writing is easy to understand, and there are lots of color photographs and other illustrations.
• Tornadoes are a definite possibility in Arkansas, so to learn all about them check out The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm by Thomas Grazulis (QC 955 .G74 2001). Using both the stories of historical tornadoes and current scientific data, Grazulis demystifies tornadoes at the same time as he debunks tornado myths and provides safety information for the reader.
• For up-to-date and up-to-the-minute weather data, check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For anyone interested in the weather, this is a great website to spend some time on. There are pages about current weather, information for teachers, government reports, and other news. At the library, we also have access to a subscription database of NOAA climatology data available for in-house use.

For these and other weather-related resources, check out our website and catalog.

Ask a reference question

Although the main mission of the Arkansas State Library is to serve state employees and public libraries throughout the state, we also have many services for the general public.

For instance, if you are a state resident, you are eligible to apply for a library card that allows you to check out books from our non-fiction collection. All you need to apply for a library card is a driver's license or other government-issued ID, and a second form of identification that has your address on it, such as a utility bill.

You don't have to have a library card to make use of the library, however. You are welcome to come in whenever we are open (Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM) to use the computers, do research or ask reference questions. We have three full-time reference librarians to answer your questions, and if we can't answer the questions ourselves, we can usually find someone who can. There are several ways to get in touch with us:

• In Person: Walk in and ask away.
• Over the phone: Call our information desk at (501) 682-2053 and ask to speak to a reference librarian.
• Snail Mail: send requests to us at Arkansas State Library Reference; One Capitol Mall, 5th Floor; Little Rock, AR 72201
• Our on-line Ask A Librarian form. Simply fill in the blanks, and we will get back to you as soon as we have an answer.
  

Arkansas State Job Resources Online

Times are tough, and finding a job can be difficult at the best of times. Here are some Arkansas-based online resources that may be able to help.

Job Aspirations: An online career resource center with links to other Arkansas job search websites, as well as to job resources in other states.

Arkansas Jobs: An employment website. Including job databases, for job seekers and employers. The site is part of the LocalCareers.com Network.

Arkansas Department of Workforce Services A comprehensive array of services for Arkansas employers and job seekers.

Arkansas Business Arkansas Job Listings (formerly Arkansas Jobs.com):
A free jobs board, this service links employers in Arkansas to job candidates.

Arkansas Job Link: A government-maintained database of available jobs throughout the state.

Arkansas State Jobs: Database of available Arkansas state government jobs.

Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center: The main portal for a wide range of small business information and advice.

Arkansas Business Portal: A listing of various business-related state government websites.