Library Lounging news

This teen blog for Fauquier County Public Library will be taking an extended break. Please enjoy browsing past posts about art, anime, book reviews, library programs, research, and more!
Photo from The symplegades

Get Carded @ the Library

Teens can "get carded" at the library throughout September in celebration of Library Card Sign-up Month. Any teen who shows their library card at a Fauquier library reference desk in September will get an (edible) prize!

A library card gives you access to books, magazines, music, films, and other familiar materials during regular library hours. But what do you do at midnight when homework is due the next morning? Take your library card in hand and hop online to our library web site. The databases connect you to full-text encyclopedia articles, newspaper archives, downloadable audio books, and even free practice tests. Explore Oxford Reference Online Premium for bilingual dictionaries, timelines, maps and illustrations, and excellent links to web sites. Click on Peterson’s Testing & Education Reference Center to take practice SAT, ACT, AP, GED, and career exams. Ask at a reference desk for help getting started.

Read more about how to celebrate this month at Fauquier County Public Library!

Faster than free internet...

The Adventures of Super Librarian
time = 36 seconds

In case you missed this Word of the Day

Conveniently brought to you by the Oxford English Dictionary blog feed. Thank you O.E.D.!

mysterious

Full of or fraught with mystery; shrouded in mystery; hidden from human knowledge or understanding; difficult or impossible to explain, solve, or discover; of obscure origin, nature, or purpose.

Of speech, language, etc.: hard to comprehend, obscure, abstruse.

Of a person or group of people: whose identity, movements, character, or motives are secret or unknown; enigmatic, elusive, secretive; cultivating or delighting in mystery.

If you missed this O.E.D. word...

Sling, n.

"A device for securing or grasping bulky or heavy articles while being hoisted or lowered, usually a belt, rope, or chain formed into a loop and fitted with hooks and tackle (cf. quots. 1627, 1769); a loop of this kind by which heavy objects are lifted, carried, or suspended." More complex than the slingshot that took down Goliath.

If you want to learn word origins (who said it first, when, and where), follow this link to free access to the complete Oxford English Dictionary (O.E.D.). All you need to know is the 10-digit number on the back of your library card. Click here for details about getting your free library card.

Teen Tech Week - wash tub technology?

Cleaning a Motherboard

If it's a program or application you need help cleaning, try free advice from Tech Recipes.

These two sites are great for beginners:

Free Beginners Tutorials and Lessons

GCF Global Learning® has been reviewed and approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

Teen Tech Week - :~/ ?

Emoticons and acronyms:

<:-) Innocently asking a dumb question
:~/ Confused
d :-o Hats off to you!
; ) Wink
:-@ Screaming
8 Infinity
/\/\/\ Laughter
* Kiss
~:o Baby
+<:-) Religious leader
+<-) Knight
8-O Astonished
8-P Yuck!
: ( Sad
: ) Smile
: [ Bored, sad
~:\ Elvis

Conversation:

Do you have a SASS (Short Attention Span Society/Syndrome)?

SFAIAA (So Far As I Am Aware), yes.

BTW (By The Way)... IJWTS (I Just Want To Say) POS (Parents Over the Shoulder).

IKWUM (I Know What You Mean), it's a SMOP (Small Matter Of Programming).

TNSTAAFL (There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)! HHO 1/2 K (Ha, Ha, Only Half Kidding).

DUCWIC (Do YoU See What I See) or is this just an EIF (Exercise In Futility)?

BTDTGTTS (Been There Done That Got The T-Shirt)

WCAGA (What Comes Around Goes Around) B/C (Because) ROTBA (Reality On The Blink Again).

E2EG (Ear to Ear Grin)

LOL (Laugh Out Loud)

LTHTT (Laughing Too Hard To Type)

Vocabulary:

Do you know what an Infobot is and when the word was invented? Read the first usages of the word Infobot in this thorough definition taken from the Oxford English Dictionary below.

Infobot, n.

An automatic system which enables users to find out information, spec. (a) (with capital initial) (a proprietary name for) a telephone query handling system in which users select options using a touch-tone telephone and receive instructions and information from a synthesized or recorded voice; (b) a device or computer program used to execute transactions, esp. the retrieval of information from the Internet, whose operation does not require the direct control of the user; cf. KNOWBOT n.

1986 ABA Banking Jrnl. (Nexis) May 126 An automated service that uses artificial intelligence and voice technology and that substitutes for customer service representatives has been developed by Syntellect. Called Infobot, the system can be used without making any changes in the bank's existing mainframe software.

1991 Communication Week (Nexis) 9 Sept. 40 Undergraduates at the University of California-Los Angeles have been able to sign up for their classes since 1989 using an InfoBot system.

1993 Special Libraries (Nexis) 22 Sept. 230 Forcing information to permeate the organization, creating infobots that find people who need information..exemplify excellence in virtual libraries.

1999 Assoc. Computing Machinery Nov. 69 Why is it that users do not have an InfoBot on their desktop that will analyze their information needs, scour the Web and get them exactly what they need?

Research:

Search other words related to technology in the O.E.D. (Oxford English Dictionary) through the library website.

Reference books are always available at the library (check which branch):

Abbreviations Dictionary by Ralph DeSola

Acronyms, Initialisms, & Abbreviations Dictionary

Larousse Dictionary of Science and Technology edited by Peter M.B. Walker

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms edited by Sybil P. Parker

A Concise Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: From a Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English by Eric Partridge

Check out these books:

NTC's Dictionary of Acronyms and Abbreviations compiled by Steven Racek Kleinedler

Slang!: The Topic-by-topic Dictionary of Contemporary American Lingoes by Paul Dickson

Floccinaucinihilipilification?

Like to have fun with words?

Have you read the Mary Poppins books by P. L. Travers? Remember the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious song from the movie Mary Poppins?

"But then one day I learned a word
That saved me achin' nose,
The biggest word you ever 'eard,
And this is 'ow it goes:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

Did you know that Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoniosis is "a lung disease caused by breathing in particles of siliceous volcanic dust. This is the longest word in any English dictionary. However, it was coined by Everett Smith, the President of The National Puzzlers' League, in 1935 purely for the purpose of inventing a new "longest word". The Oxford English Dictionary described the word as factitious. Nevertheless it also appears in the Webster's, Random House, and Chambers dictionaries."

So, Floccinaucinihilipilification is currently the longest "real" world in the English language. It means "an estimation of something as worthless."

Challenge to brave writers... can you write a sentence with Floccinaucinihilipilification in it? And can you find the correct pronunciation to recite this difficult new sentence? Try the alphaDictionary for more views on these strange words. Good luck!

Ancestors? Genealogy?

Who are you related to? Are you ready to spend your life finding out?

Visit the Virginiana Room in the Warrenton library or read an introduction online. "The Virginiana Room, housed in the Warrenton Library, has an extensive collection of materials focusing on state and local history and genealogical research."

Have you ever wondered who is that Uncle Marcus that everyone in your family thinks you look like? There may be pictures and documents out there to research...and even closer to home than you may think! Ask a librarian how to start thinking about a genealogical search. Is now a good time? Will it be too late if you wait? What information can you start gathering at family reunions and/or from old letters before you hit the stacks (browse the book shelves) at the library? You may discover an uncle or second cousin has already begun the search...and would like to join you.

Look at the online Sanborn Digital Maps for Virginia to "learn about the history, growth, and development of cities, towns, and neighborhoods in Virginia. They include information such as the outline of buildings and their size shape and function, street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers." Have you heard that your Granny Lou used to live on Main Street? Did she sit in the rocking chair in the back sun room every day for decades? Was there one window or two? If you can find her part of town in the Sanborn Digital Maps, you might be able to answer those precise questions. Or...how warm did your family stay 80 years ago in a house with one, or was it two, fireplaces? Had you considered wood burning stoves? Was the building next door a school or a residence? And on and on and on...

Need to visit the Local Historical Resources. Link to Afro-American Historical Association, Fauquier Heritage Society, Old Elk Run Church Site Preservation Project, Mosby Museum, Journey Through Hallowed Ground, Old Jail Museum, Teaching With Historic Places, Monroe Park, Goldvein, VA, John Singleton Mosby Heritage Area, Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, Manassas National Battlefield Park, The Museum of Culpeper History, Library of Virginia's online resources, University of Virginia Library Genealogical Resources (Virginia Genealogy), and In the First Person ("an index to English language personal narratives, including letters, diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, and oral histories").

If you're not feeling up for searching newspapers, magazines, military records, or local history sources for such personal information today, how about browsing the records just for fun. You don't need a reason to browse. If you like looking at elegant handwriting, signatures, or dated penmanship, scan through random names for downloadable charts in Ancestry.com or HeritageQuest Online. Then pursue the meaning of all those swirls and dotted i's. Check out library books on handwriting analysis, also known as graphology. It's such a popular topic, The Complete Idiot's Guide has published their own version. Come back to genealogy later and read about forensic identification. Check out Hidden Evidence: 40 true crimes and How Forensic Science Helped Solve Them and Crime Lab 101: Experimenting with Crime Detection. Don't get too lost when you find at least 71 subject results (even more books) for " forensic" in the catalog. You have the tools to discover clues...to your own psychological, historical composition. Good luck.

Black History Month

Black History Month

Sample searches in the catalog:

Title searches:
African American Inventors
Black Pioneers of Science and Invention
Outward Dreams: Black Inventors and Their Inventions
African American Firsts in Science & Technology (Reference books always available)
Inventing Modern America [electronic resource]: From the Microwave to the Mouse
Autobiography of a People: Three Centuries of African American History Told by Those Who Lived It
The Black 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential African-Americans, Past and Present
The African-American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Country
The Autobiography of Malcolm X

People subject searches:
George Washington Carver (http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/30.html)
Elijah McCoy "The Real McCoy" (http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/elijahmccoy.html)
Nat Turner (http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/nat_turner.htm)
Harriet Tubman (http://www.harriettubman.com/)
Sojourner Truth (http://www.sojournertruth.org/)
Rosa Parks (http://www.rosaparks.org/index.html)
Booker T. Washington (http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/washington_b.htm) and in Virgina (http://www.nps.gov/bowa/)
Alvin Ailey (http://www.alvinailey.org/)
Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (http://www.jazzitude.com/morton.htm)
Marian Anderson (http://www.mariananderson.org/)
Maya Angelou (http://www.mayaangelou.com/)
Zora Neale Hurston (http://www.zoranealehurston.ucf.edu/)
Michael Jordan (http://www.virtualfans.com/)
Alice Walker (http://www.pbs.org/now/arts/walker.html)
Tiger Woods (http://www.tigerwoods.com)
Barack Obama (http://www.barackobama.com/)
Savion Glover (http://www.js-interactive.com/savion/)
African American Artists (http://www.artcyclopedia.com/nationalities/African-American.html) and (http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/aavaahp.htm)
...countless numbers more contributed to the history of this nation.

Topic subject searches:
African American
African American Business
African Americans History
African Americans in Literature
African Americans Medical Care
African Americans Study and Teaching
African Americans World War 1914 1918
Africa
Caribbean
Ghana

Links:
History.com
Blackquest.com
Black History Month in the United Kingdom

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 15th

MLK Day - http://www.mlkday.org/ "On January 15, 2007, as we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country will remember and memorialize Dr. King by participating in service projects in their communities. Together, they will honor King’s legacy of tolerance, peace, and equality by meeting community needs and making the holiday... 'A day ON, not a day OFF.'"

National Civil Rights Museum - http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/ "The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, chronicles key episodes of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through our collections, exhibitions, and educational programs. "

The King Center - http://www.thekingcenter.org/ "Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, The King Center is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of America’s greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace...In these web pages, you will find invaluable resources to become informed about Dr. King and the ongoing efforts to fulfill his great dream of the Beloved Community for America and the world."

I've Seen The Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Walter Dean Myers

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman

Research with Find It Virginia!

Homework assignments slowing you down? Need legitimate articles from magazines, newspapers, radio or T.V. transcripts? You have found the books, now what about support materials that exist only on the Internet and that your teachers will accept? What about compiling bibliographic citations from the sources you are researching? All of these things are at your fingertips with the use of your FREE Fauquier County Public Library (FCPL) library card.

Visit the library branch nearest you and pick up an "Info to Go 24/7" bookmark at the Reference desk. Follow the instructions on the back or try this... same result.

Start from the library homepage - http://library.fauquiercounty.gov. Look in the blue bar on the left side of the page under Electronic Resources. Click on Databases and Links. Now click on the text Periodical Indexes or click on the Find It Virginia icon:

Next select Fauquier County Public Library from the drop-down menu. Type in the 10 digit number on back of your FCPL library card. There are about 20 databases to choose from as you search Find It Virginia!

How to find legitimate sources, general homework help, bibliographic citation formatting online

HOW TO TELL LEGITIMATE SOURCES

Evaluating Internet Resources - http://www.library.georgetown.edu/internet/eval.htm
Article on Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines - http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Research/Subject/scholarlyguide.html

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HOMEWORK
Dictionary.com - http://dictionary.reference.com/
Ask for Kids - http://www.askforkids.com/
KidsClick! Web Search for Kids by Librarians - http://sunsite3.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/
Homeworkspot- http://homeworkspot.com/
Homework Center at the Multnomah County Library - http://www.multcolib.org/homework/index.html
BJ Pinchbeck Homework Helper - http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/index.html
Fact Monster Homework Center - http://www.factmonster.com/homework/
High School Ace - http://highschoolace.com/ace/ace.cfm
Spark Notes - http://www.sparknotes.com/
Quizhub - http://quizhub.com/quiz/quizhub.cfm

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BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION HELP
Citation Machine - http://citationmachine.net/
The free automatic bibliography composer - http://www.easybib.com/

Noodle Tools - http://www.noodletools.com/login.php

Internet Safety

Websites that help you protect yourself when you are online:

NetSmartz - http://www.netsmartz.org/
Safe Teens - http://www.safeteens.com/
Internet Safety Awareness - http://www.internet-safety.org/

Books to check out from the library:

Cybersafety: Surfing Safely Online by Joan Vos MacDonald
“Provides tips and advice for teens for avoiding common Internet dangers, such as sexual predators, with cyber rules that can be applied to enhance safer surfing.”

MySpace Unraveled: A Parent's Guide to Teen Social Networking from the Directors of BlogSafety.com by Larry Magid and Anne Collier; published 2007
“To help you understand MySpace, the authors step you through how to set up and personalize a MySpace account and how to manage an online social life. Then they look at how young people are changing the Internet and how to guide them as they navigate the social Web.” -- from back cover

(no book cover image available)

Everything you need to know about staying safe in cyberspace [e-book] by Jennifer Croft; published 1999
“Examines some of the dangers that might be encountered while using the internet, and gives advice about how to avoid them.”