CADL Blog » Reference Wednesday

The Titanic Sails Again!

annemr — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:30:23 +0000

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic is April 15, 2012. It is well known that the ship had a short life since it sunk on its maiden voyage, but it has lived on in legend. As Eyewitness Books Titanic says:

“The Titanic has had two lives. Its first life was as an ill-fated ship that floated for less than a year. Its second life began the moment the ship struck the iceberg … With countless films, books, musicals, songs, computer games, and websites to its name, the Titanic is now more famous than ever. Phrases associated with the ship – ‘tip of the iceberg,’ ‘rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic,’ ‘and the band played on’ – have all entered the English language… Titanic may lie rusting at the bottom of the Atlantic, but interest in the ship… lives on.”

RMS Titanic took three years to build at cost of $7.5 million dollars. It had electric elevators, a swimming pool, a squash court, a Turkish bath, and a gymnasium with a mechanical horse and camel. A first class ticket on the ship cost $4,350, which translates into approximately $95,000 today.

Tragically, although it was designed to hold 32 lifeboats, only 20 were on board. It was thought that too many boats would ruin the aesthetic beauty of the ship. After hitting an iceberg, the ship sank in less than three hours. Out of 2,228 passengers and crewmembers, only about 700 people survived. The wreckage was located in 1985. It was 12,500 feet down, about 350 miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. The last survivor was Millvina Dean, who died in 2009 (ironically on the anniversary of the ship’s launching.) She was only eight weeks old at the time of the voyage, so of course had no memories of the ship. Her mother told her the story but seldom wished to speak about it.

The movie Titanic is being released in 3D, marking the 100th anniversary of the ill-fated voyage and the 15th anniversary of the film. The movie won 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director for James Cameron. To prepare for the movie, Cameron first filmed footage of the actual wreck of the RMS Titanic. Next, a reconstruction of the ship was made in California. Computers and scale models were used to create the images of the sinking. At the time, Titanic was the most expensive movie ever made, at a cost of $200 million.

For more information on the RMS Titanic see our reference eBooks and catalog. Also, The Detroit Area Library Network has created a wonderful website with contemporary accounts of the building, launching, and sinking of the ship.

-Anne R., Reference Librarian @ CADL

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I Hate Crafts!

annemr — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:30:58 +0000

Actually I dislike doing crafts because I am so terrible at them. To me, even cutting out the little paper signs for our “Staff Picks” bulletin board comes dangerously close to a “craft.” EEK! I do enjoy seeing what other people can produce. Our staff is full of quilters, knitters, bakers, cooks, painters and more. Some of them create really cool displays in the library. Where am I going with this?

The library has a really nice craft collection if you want to embark on a craft adventure. From the “Dummies” level to more advanced, check out our craft books. Go to Find Books and enter the craft you’re interested in. We may even have a DVD on your craft, to see DVDs go to Find Movies.

Want to sell your crafts?

As for me, even the ”Dummies” series is beyond my skills, but I will continue to admire the work of others…

-Anne R., Reference Librarian @ CADL

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

Moulin Rouge!

annemr — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:30:57 +0000

La Belle Époque (“The Beautiful Era”) began about 1889 and lasted until World War I. It was a time of respite between the two World Wars when arts and culture in France (and elsewhere) flourished. Interestingly, the social classes merged as never before, and the Moulin Rouge cabaret was an excellent example of this. People from all walks of life came to enjoy the entertainments, including the famous Cancan dancers.

Moulin Rouge (“Red Mill”) is a cabaret located at the foot of Butte Montmartre in Paris, built in 1889. From Global Cosmetic Industry:

Opened by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler, the Moulin Rouge quickly gained a reputation for its wild atmosphere. Inspired by the circus, the music hall featured a huge dance floor, a garden decorated with a large elephant, donkey rides for the women, and the famous French Cancan dancers, immortalized by artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in his painting “La Goulue.” The hall soon became a favorite place of the Parisian aristocrats to mix with the less bourgeois citizens and “ladies of easy virtue.”

The Wharton Center presents Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Moulin Rouge – The Ballet, Wednesday, March 14 7:30 pm. A preview dinner featuring speaker André Lewis, artistic director of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, takes place March 14 at the Wharton Center at 5:30 pm. To reserve a dinner seat, visit www.whartoncenter.com/dinner or call Dustin Boehmer in the Wharton Center Ticket Office at 517-884-3130. Please note that dinner and performance tickets must be purchased seperately.

Flickr user: Clumsy_Jim

Sources:

Moulin Rouge Official Site
The Wharton Center
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
“Moulin Rouge” Global Cosmetic Industry. 172.8 (Aug. 2004): p18.

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

Tax Time

annemr — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:30:05 +0000

: Flickuser: zenobia_joy

It is everyone’s “favorite” time of year again! Each year, the tax forms and booklets arrive later and later, frustrating both you and CADL staff. It looks like we finally have most of the forms and booklets now, but call ahead to see if we have the form you need. You can also visit our tax page for lots of tax info. We have links to online forms, phone numbers and information on free tax help.

FREE help is available for seniors and those with low income. Call 211 or 1-866-561-2500 to see if you qualify and to make an appointment.

Michigan and federal filing dates have been extended to April 17 because April 15 is a Sunday this year and Emancipation Day (a holiday in Washington DC) falls on April 16. The deadline for Lansing forms is April 30.

Happy tax season!

-Anne R., Reference Librarian @ CADL

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

Tuskegee Airmen

CADL — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:30:21 +0000

“Red Tails,” a new movie on the Tuskegee Airmen, was released a few weeks ago. Executive Producer George Lucas has said in interviews that he financed the movie himself because Hollywood doesn’t want to back expensive movies with all-black casts. What a sad statement for 2012. The movie has been getting mixed reviews, but still brings an important story to light. Too few people know about the heroes who were the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Tuskegee Airmen, formed in 1941, were the first African American pilots in the US military. They were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. They compiled the following illustrious combat record: 261 Aircraft Destroyed, 148 Aircraft Damaged, 15,533 Sorties, 1,578 Missions, 66 KIA, 95 Distinguished Flying Crosses Awarded, 450 Pilots Sent Overseas.

The library’s resources provide fascinating information on the Airmen. From the reference eBook American Home Front in World War II:

In the air force the all-black Ninety-Ninth Pursuit Squadron out of Tuskegee, Alabama, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, excelled in providing protection to bomber squadrons. Bomber squadrons were eager to have the Ninety-Ninth assigned to protect them. Overall, more than a million black Americans would serve in the armed forces throughout the war.

You can visit the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum right here Michigan! It is located on West Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. Another site of interest is the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site run by the National Park Service located in Tuskegee Alabama.

Also, check out these other works on the Tuskegee Airmen:

Freedom Flyers: the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II
Black Knights: the Story of the Tuskegee Airmen
A documentary on the Airmen: The Tuskegee Airmen (PBS)
An action film: The Tuskegee Airmen (HBO)

For more information, go to:

- Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

Consumer Reports is Back!

annemr — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:30:28 +0000

The Consumer Reports magazine actually never left the library, but a few years ago the CR organization removed access to it from our online databases. A lot of you miss the library’s online access and believe me, the staff misses it too! We have the physical magazine of course, but it was nice to be able to send articles to patrons via email or tell them how to access reports from home.

I am happy to report that the library is now able to offer Consumer Reports Cars Best Deals Plus online. You can access it from home with your library card. While not as complete as the full ConsumerReports.org, it does offer reports on many commonly researched products.

Examples of products include: cars, washing machines, computers, TVs, mattresses, cribs and much more! When you look up a product you will see the same grids with ratings that you see in Consumer Reports magazine. The site also covers recalls.

Happy shopping!

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

EBooks for Reference

annemr — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:30:11 +0000

A lot of people know about our eBooks to check out but did you know that we also have reference eBooks that you can use for information, research and homework? No check out is required. You can read them on your computer or download them to an eReader. You will need your library card to access reference eBooks from home.

These books cover many subjects from Arts to Zoology. There are books for students doing assignments, business plan samples, health guides and much more. When would you use an eBook for reference? There are lots of examples but one comes to mind. Recently we had a gentleman who didn’t have the time and money to photocopy multiple pages from the Encyclopedia of Religion. He was happy when we told him he could access it at home with his library card and either view or print at his leisure.

We wish more people knew about all of these resources that are available to you with your library card. The next time you have a health question, your child has homework or you need some information, Give reference eBooks a whirl!

A few examples:

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

Barking up the Right (Family) Tree

annemr — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:30:59 +0000

One of my relatives

For the first time CADL is offering genealogy classes! The first class is Basic Genealogy, on January 11 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Downtown Lansing Library. This class will show you how to use the library’s two genealogy databases, Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest. In these databases you can find census records, birth, marriage and death records and much more. HeritageQuest can even be accessed from home with a library card! Ancestry Library Edition has to be accessed in the library but the library access is free vs. paying for the home edition you see advertised so much.

While CADL isn’t the foremost genealogy library in the area, (that would be the Library of Michigan) there is a lot you can do with these two resources. Please note that if you have quite a bit of experience in genealogy, this class is probably too basic for you.

The next class (more on that in a future blog) is Sharing Your Genealogy Information on February 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Downtown Lansing Library. This class will show you how to share genealogy information using a WordPress blog. Blogs can be a great way to share information with your family across the miles. By the way, if you interested in just learning how to create a blog in general, this class is for you. The lesson can be applied to a blog on any subject.

To register for one or both classes, please call (517) 367-6356.

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

The Lure of a Good Book

annemr — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:30:38 +0000

Flickr user: Daniel Y

Recently a member of my CADL book group stopped by the library and commented on the book we were going to discuss in a few days. We all know how hectic the holiday season is due to shopping, wrapping etc. I had only read a few pages and the discussion was SOON!

When I went home I scraped together time and reluctantly opened the book as one does when a book report is due. The reluctance quickly disappeared as the book grabbed me and pulled me in. Before I knew it, I had finished it. I love it when a book does that!

The book I was reading was Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. If you haven’t read anything by Brooks give her a try. As my colleague Sarah says, she has a wonderful way with period language in historical fiction. Caleb’s Crossing is about the first Native American to graduate from Harvard in 1665.

To find out about more good reading check out our Research Tools page: Reading and Books. I use NoveList Plus and Books & Authors to find read-alikes of books I like. You will also find reviews, discussion questions and much more.

If you would like to discuss books with others, take a look at our Book Discussion groups.

- Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Filed under: Reference Wednesday

Fun Holiday Facts

annemr — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:30:29 +0000

I found the following holiday fact items in our eBooks for reference. A lot of people know about our circulating eBook collection but did you know that we also have ebooks you can use for information, research and homework? Recently they became available to download on eBook readers! You can also read them on any computer, no downloading needed. All you need is your library card.

: Flickr user: robinskyler

Chanukah or Hanukkah: Commemorates the 165 B.C.E. victory of Jewish traditionalists over a military/political alliance of Syrian Greeks and Jewish Hellenists trying to eliminate Judaism in the land of Israel…Chanukah is a minor holiday, and its observance, primarily domestic, doesn’t require absence from work or school. A joyous holiday for children, traditionally celebrated with games, small money gifts (gelt), and oil-fried foods such as potato pancakes (latkes), Chanukah has disproportionate prominence in North America because it occurs near Christmas. Although the two holidays have no connection, giving of presents, sending cards, and inclusion of Chanukah in public seasonal celebrations are features of this festival’s contemporary commemoration. Contemporary American Religion

Christmas Trees in America:

: Flickr User: PineblossomsbyJennifer

The Christmas tree, with its huge array of food ornaments, first appeared among the Pennsylvania Dutch in the form of table-top branches of cherry trees (which were forced to bloom) or a large limb from an evergreen shrub, such as mountain laurel or cedar. These table-top trees were set into large flower pots and surrounded with plates of festive food… Later, in the 1840s, the Christmas tree custom was further reinforced by German immigrants, and it quickly became a symbol of status in Victorian households. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture

Kwanzaa

Maulana Karenga (An African American educator and activist) …introduced a lasting source of black unity by introducing Kwanzaa to African Americans. Kwanzaa, which is Swahili for “first fruits,” is a holiday based on African agricultural rites and communal activities that urges blacks to look back to their cultural roots as a source of celebration…

Although it coincides with the Christmas season, the holiday has no religious aspects and therefore allows people from all countries and backgrounds to join in without conflicts… After initially being observed by a few hundred people, Kwanzaa celebrations have spread well beyond the borders of the United States in ensuing years. Contemporary Black Biography

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Filed under: Reference Wednesday