IM Reference

What's this??? Instant messaging reference. Virtual reference. Live reference. Chat reference. Whatever you want to call it, the Northfield Library has it. Just go to www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library and click on "Ask a Librarian" and look for the Meebo box. During open hours you can ask us questions from wherever you are and we'll answer as quickly as we can.

Bees at Work - 3rd Annual Spelling Bee

Just a reminder to come to the Friends of the Library 3rd Annual Spelling Bee this Thursday, Sept. 25th, at 7 P.M. at the Grand Theater. Admission is $5. Even if you are not on a team, it's a great spectator event. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Grand Event Center. Funds raised will go to developing the new business resource area at the library.
And if you are thinking of having a team, it's not too late, but you should call in the next few days. Call the library at 645-6606 or go to
www.northfieldlibraryfriends.org for more information.

Biography Resource Center -

The Northfield Public Library subscribes to a great electronic database called The Biography Resource Center. This resource can be accessed by clicking on the "Other Resources" tab in the library catalog.

Supported by Gale, this comprehensive database contains more than 440,000 entries on more than 165,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.

I browsed the category "Ancient Greeks and Romans" and found entries under 60 different names. Individual entries vary in length and content but the Further Readings section appears to be a standard feature of all entries.
The Further Readings section can be particularly helpful in locating additional information about the person, including information that can be buried within more general books, as well as biographies, and autobiographies.

If you need assistance accessing The Biography Resource Center, or have any questions about it, please call the Reference Desk at 507-645-1802.

Things to remember when searching the library catalog online:

1. When doing a basic search on our website – http://www.northfieldmn.info/ – you are searching the Northfield Library ONLY.
2. To search all of SELCO ( our library system) click on Find or Library Catalog – then click on “Search all Selco libraries” ( top right hand side of the page)
3. With basic searching you are searching keyword; to be more exact click on the “Starts with” button - (Title starts with, subject starts with, author last name, first name)
4. And if you aren’t certain about subject headings, try to find something that does look right and see what the subject headings are and click on those to narrow your search.
5. Trying to find things in different formats? Look for the “Limit by” box and narrow your results by choosing formats such as large print, audio, CD, DVD, etc.

Travel books at the library

Despite the high cost of airfares, people are still traveling. Here's an overview of some of the differences between the various publishers of guidebooks.
Come in to check out our guides as you wind up your "Staycations" and get ready for fall and winter travel. Happy fare hunting!!

Eyewitness Guides - These are lavishly illustrated. Great for "visual thinkers."

Fodors - Best for luxury lovers - reports on high end hotels and exclusive restaurants.

Still a good all-around basic guide.

Insight Guides - Focuses on culture and history, making these guides fairly timeless.

National Geographic - great illustrations; each glossy page full of great pictures; big on culture and history.

Lonely Planet - Good overall guide with emphasis on history and culture and those budget minded travelers.

Frommer's - Guidebooks accentuate the "Best of" of a destination. A good all round guide.

Rough Guides - Best for Bookworms - gives lots of background on local arts

and literature.

Rick Steve - host of PBS travel show; has 30 years of travel writing experience; very personal suggestions.

Seeing Stars

Have you seen those red stars on books in the fiction section upstairs at the library? Those are books recommended by staff. Check them out as you look for books for these long summer days.

Nonfiction DVDs

The library is highlighting nonfiction DVDs this week in the stairwell. We have lots of DVDs upstairs shelved with the books on a variety of topics. We used to have them shelved separately but decided they might get more use if shelved with the books on the same topics. But still, it's good to remind people we have them. Here are a few titles:






ABC Africa -


"Over the course of a ten-day visit to Uganda, Abbas Kiarostami uses his camera to capture and caress the faces of a thousand orphans". (2005)




Tarnation -


"Jonathan Caouette has woven together a psychedelic whirlwind of snapshots, super-8 home movies, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, snippets of '80s pop culture and dramatic re-enactments to create an epic portrait of an American family torn apart by dysfunction and reunited through the power of love". (2004)





Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion -




"Ten years in the making, this award-winning documentary was filmed during a remarkable nine journeys throughout Tibet, India and Nepal". (2003)


The Sixties: the years that shaped a generation -



"The Sixties traces the events of one of the most turbulent and influential periods of political and cultural change in the 20th century and the powerful impact forced on an entire generation". (2005)




Seven Days in September -




"Director Steven Rosenbaum marshalled the resources of 27 different filmmakers that recorded what they saw throughout the city (New York) on 9/11 and beyond. Using never-before-seen footage at "ground zero", the film conveys the sights and sounds of the terrorist attacks in the most intimate way possible". (2004)