Did you know that the Library subscribes to LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator, a resource that combines everything you need for a successful job search into one easy-to-use online application? With this innovative job-hunting system, you can:
Explore detailed information on over 1,000 different occupations
Match your interests and skills with the career that’s best for you
Search over five million up-to-the-minute local and national job postings
Search for internships, schools & programs, scholarships & financial aid
Create professional resumes and cover letters
Practice and master interviewing skills
Get invaluable tips and advice every step of the way—from your initial search to accepting an offer
Conveniently organize and track your job-search progress all in one place
Whether you’re looking to find a new job in your current field, or to pursue a career in an exciting new industry, LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator will guide you through every step of the process.
The Library is offering free workshops on how to get started using Job and Career Accelerator throughout the month of April. Choose from the dates and times listed below:
Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 16th at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 20th at 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, April 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 25th at 3:00 p.m.
The workshops will be held at the Central Library. Please register in person at the Reference Desk or call 617-623-5000 x2955 or email raugarten@minlib.net.
Do you want to learn Adobe Dreamweaver or Flash? Learn the basics of statistics? Get an electrician’s license? We’ve got a great new database for Somerville patrons who want or need to learn new skills. LearningExpress is a database of online tutorials and exams geared to the educational needs of children and teens and the vocational needs of adults. The tutorials and online courses cover school subjects ranging from elementary school reading to AP calculus. Computer software training includes learning the basics of Windows or the Mac OS, the Adobe family of programs, and runs the Microsoft gamut from basic spreadsheets (Excel) to intranet content management (SharePoint).
Anyone who needs to prepare for an occupational exam should check out LearningExpress: it’s got practice tests for the Civil Service exam, the Commercial Driver’s License test, the ASVAB, the plumber’s license and more.
LearningExpress also offers lessons on resume and business letter writing, job interviewing, managing your personal finances and GED prep.
Finally there’s a section for Spanish speakers that includes a guide to getting a green card, citizenship exam prep, and ESL lessons.
To get started with LearningExpress, click on the “Databases” link on the Minuteman catalog page. If you’re doing this from home you’ll be prompted for your library card number. Enter it and you’ll be taken to a page with an alphabetical list of databases. Go down to “L.” Then register to create a username and password. Then it’s off to school!
Librarians across the Commonwealth are sharing online resources to help parents talk with their children in the wake of this national tragedy. Here are a few suggestions:
In a recent Somerville Newscolumn reflecting on the career of former Mayor Eugene Brune, Mayor Curtatone quoted a Boston Sunday Globe insert (below) from October 17, 1965 entitled, “The New Somerville–Colonial Birth, Space Age Rebirth,” extolling a “new Somerville” with state-of-the-art infrastructure and institutions emerging from one of the birthplaces of America.
But as the mayor pointed out, the insert mentions developments and transit plans that didn’t get very far. And the Somerville of the 1960s wasn’t the multicultural mosaic it is now. That’s the value and charm of such pieces: they offer an eyewitness view of the past that puts the present into sharp focus.
Using SPL’s Historic Boston Globe database, I was able to find that insert using the keyword search “colonial birth space age rebirth” and choosing the “sort results by” option “Publication date (oldest first).” It shows a Somerville trying to find its way in the latter years of the industrial age, the Somerville of the Edsel and the Nerf Ball that would later evolve into the current Somerville of Taza Chocolate and the Artisans Asylum.
In addition to being great for homework and research projects, the Historic Boston Globe offers a window on history as it unfolded. You can read how Bostonians reacted to the end of Prohibition or the death of Elvis. Check it out.
Hi, this is Susan and Zoe! We just got out of an awesome meeting with the Teen Advisory Board. As you may or may not know, SPL is in the process of creating a space for teens to hang out, work, and collaborate. It will be located in what is now the Audio-Visual room (that stuff is going to be moved upstairs), and there are going to be a lot of great things about the new space. First of all, how many times have you gone to the library to work or hang out, and been told you were talking too loud? Yes, it’s even happened to us. Now you can finally have somewhere to work on group projects, get homework help, or even play cards, and not have to worry about “whispering.”
There are going to be some great resources available as well. The Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) is a student run community service organization at Tufts. They have one-on-one tutoring on campus, but are looking to branch out and start a tutoring program at the library. One of LCS’s co-presidents, Shayna, came to our meeting to brainstorm ideas for the program. Here are some of the ideas that we came up with (and hopefully will be put into action!)…
after-school homework help
workshops (about topics like essay writing, note taking, and study skills)
help with science fair and other group projects
a teen book club
help with summer homework (and pacing)
advice and assistance with the college application process
Hopefully the space will be open in the fall, but for now feel free to come to the TEEN DROP-INS in the auditorium of the Central Branch Library from 3-6 pm on Friday afternoons. Check out the new Facebook page for details.
But to make the livin’ a little easier, here are some ways to avoid (or minimize) cooking. Here are 101 hot-weather recipes by Mark Bittman that require only ten minutes (or fewer) of cooking. And Boston.com has a list of quick summer recipes (it’s a slideshow, but worth it!). Furthermore, a section of the most excellent Epicurious is devoted to summer dishes.
When looking for recipes, it’s also not a bad idea to check the New York Times‘ City Kitchen column, where last week David Tanis walked readers through the basics of a ceviche supper.
With a little research and luck, you won’t have to turn on the oven until September….
Last night yours truly and Kristi Chase of the City’s Historic Preservation department gave a presentation on genealogical and house history research. Since most people remember research processes when they’re given concrete examples, we took one house in Somerville and explained how to use library resources and local government document to find out how the house had been altered over the course of its existence and to find out who lived there since it was built. So technically, the presentation was “Researching the History of Your House and the People Who Lived There.” I demonstrated how to use resources such as the census, deeds, and military service records to gather information on who lived in a specific house, and Kristi was impressive as she showed how one can use maps, historic photos, and building permits to uncover radical changes to the house (in this case, a rather spare house built in the 1850s had been converted into an example of Queen Anne fancifulness).
Our talk was one of the final events of Somerville’s Historic Preservation Month. We’ll be giving it again next year and hope you’ll attend.
The patrons and staff of the Shutesbury Public Library made this charming video to raise funds for a new building. The current library is lovely, but it has no running water and it’s so small there’s no room for more than one patron at a time to browse the shelves. It has wifi, but due to lack of space in the library patrons access it from their cars.
A week from tomorrow Google’s new privacy policy goes into effect (or perhaps I should call it their no-privacy policy): they’ll be combining all the information they have about you from all of their services that you use. If you decide to continue using Google as a search engine after this (although there are alternatives, such as the most excellent DuckDuckGo), you might want to consider deleting your web search history. You have no idea how this data’s going to be used. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has instructions on how to delete your web history, and stopping Google from tracking your web history in future. And here, again, are tips on how to hide from Google courtesy of Wired.
Google continues to come under fire for its proposed new privacy policy, which I blogged about last week. EU officials have asked Google to delay implementation of the policy change until its potential effects on users can be analyzed. Google has said “No.” Meanwhile Microsoft has gone on the offensive with an ad:
But let’s face it: when it comes to privacy, Microsoft isn’t any better. But if you’re a gmail user and worried about your privacy, you have some options. Log out of your gmail account before doing a search on Google. Turn off the Google feature that remembers your search histories. Or (radical thought) you could stop using Gmail (Mozilla Thunderbird is one alternative). Wired has other, easily implemented suggestions on how to Hide from Google.
A week from tomorrow Google’s new privacy policy goes into effect (or perhaps I should call it their no-privacy policy): they’ll be combining all the information they have about you from all of their services that you use. If you decide to continue using Google as a search engine after this (although there are alternatives, such as the most excellent 
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