Thanksgiving 2009 Resources List!

It's our second annual Thanksgiving Resources list! We've updated last years and in the honor of preemptive reference, we're posting it through twitter, MySpace, and Facebook. Check it out:

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Are you prepared for the food, family, and fun?

To help you have a happy, safe, and healthy holiday, we’ve put together some resources we hope you’ll find useful.

Happy Thanksgiving from all your friends at Maryland AskUsNow! (We’re thankful for librarians and all our friends like you!)

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What do I do with this Turkey?
Butterball’s Thanksgiving guide is complete with shopping lists, conversations, thawing guides, seating, safety, what to do with leftovers, and more:
http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/thanksgiving-guide

I may need to know CPR
http://health.howstuffworks.com/cpr2.htm
(TIP: don’t know what the timing is? hum the Bee Gee’s Stayin Alive for the right rhythm (http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20081017/cpr-gives-stayin-alive-new-life))

Vegetarian Thanksgiving?
eHow’s “How to choose a Turkey Substitute for your Vegan T-day” http://www.ehow.com/how_4599009_turkey-substitute-vegan-thanksgiving-dinner.html

Vegan holiday recipes http://www.vegcooking.com/f_holiday_cooking.asp

Worried about handling the family stress?
Check out the Mayo Clinic’s 12 tips for coping: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030 or the Family Guide’s Guide to Managing Holiday Stress: http://family.samhsa.gov/be/holidaystress.aspx

Send your thanks to our military?
Go to http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Usgresponse/Help.shtml#vgn-support-our-troops-vgn to send care packages, donate calling cards, or write letters, emails, or text messages of gratitude.

Volunteer this holiday!
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicService.shtml

What’s the real story behind Thanksgiving?
History.com tells the tale of the First Thanksgiving: http://tinyurl.com/6jwxzx and what was actually on the menu. Also check out the Smithsonian’s site at http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/thanks.htm

Have kids to entertain?
Print out some coloring book pages here: http://coloring-page.net/thanksgiving.html or here: http://www.preschoolcoloringbook.com/color/cpthanksgiving.shtml or here: http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanks-color.html

Interested in Thanksgiving Facts?
The U.S. Census Bureau can help: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/014332.html

Traveling?
Check out highway conditions at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Trafficinfo/

The Federal Aviation Administration can tell you what the status of flights and airport delays are: http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

Have a question about something else? Get answers at www.askusnow.info We’re available 24/7, even on Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays,
Your friends at Maryland AskUsNow!

YouTube: The Reference Tool

Have you considered using YouTube (or other online video services) as resources? Don't limit yourselves on where you look for answers / help. In our user-generated world, that question about how to get to the next level on a video game, or how to fix a leaky faucet could be answered using videos!

Check out the NYT article here.

Also, check out other video sites:
Video How-to: http://www.instructables.com/ (one of my personal favorites for all things DIY)
Life Explained. On Film: http://www.videojug.com/
Videos, TV, News, Movies: http://www.veoh.com/
Another YouTube: http://www.vimeo.com/
Video How-to: http://www.howcast.com/

What do you think?

Need help this holiday? We've got the resources for you!

This is the resource list we posted on MySpace and Facebook for the Winter Holidays:

What are the main December holidays?
For an overview of major December holidays, see “Web Holidays,” at:
http://www.web-holidays.com/

An expansive list of Winter Holidays can be seen on Wikipedia (please note that information found there should be backed up with other, reliable sources):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winter_festivals

Holidays Around the World is from World Book Online, at:
http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Students?content_spotlight/holidays

Where is Santa now?
NORAD offers a “Countdown to Track Santa” – counting the days, hours, minutes, seconds until Santa’s big event, found at:
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

What’s the “real story” about Santa (and other pertinent questions)?
How Stuff Works is a site that gives a basic overview of the “story of Santa,” as well as ideas about the reindeer and more:
http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/santa-claus-stories-ga1.htm

The Smithsonian has information concerning Santa Claus:
http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/smithsonian/show_search_santa.do

Stories about the holidays:
The National Public Radio’s site has a tremendous amount of stories about the holidays, at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96539922&ps=bb2

Holiday Food
For traditional Christmas Dinners and Holiday planning, check out EHow's info at:
http://www.ehow.com/christmas/christmasdinner.html

For vegetarian/vegan alternatives, you might like to try the Veggie Table, online at:
http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/christmas.html

The Food Network, offers a variety of dessert choices and special holiday treats:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/christmas-dessert-menu/pictures/index.html

For Kosher recipes, see Kosher Cooking, at:
http://www.koshercooking.com/

Just in case! Emergency and Health-Related Sites
To learn CPR --
http://health.howstuffworks.com/cpr2.htm

TIP: Hum the Bee Gee's song “Stayin Alive” for the right rhythm:
http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20081017/cpr-gives-stayin-alive-new-life

Dealing with Family and Holiday Stress
Check out the Mayo Clinic's 12 tips for coping:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030

Another helpful resource is the Family Guide's Guide to Managing Holiday Stress: http://family.samhsa.gov/be/holidaystress.aspx

The pressure to spend can be minimized with some budget planning from Mint.edu. Check out:
http://blog.mint.com/blog/moneyhack/ten-tips-for-smarter-holiday-budget-planning/

Want to send greetings to our military?
“Letters to Santa” offers a list of organizations and ways to send support, letters, and gifts to our military and their families:
http://www.operationlettertosanta.com/Pages/support-our-troops.htm

If you would like to send an emailed letter of “thanks” to the troops, an easy way to do this is through “America Supports You,” online at:
http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/Message.aspx?SectionID=5

Or, you can specify which branch of the military service you’d like to connect with, though the U.S. Armed Forces News Service’s site, at:
http://www.usafns.com/email.shtml

Holiday Fun and Games
Print out some coloring book pages through the Coloring Page site, at:
http://coloring-page.net/christmas.html

Kaboose has a wide variety of crafts and games:
http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/christmas/christmas-crafts.html

A list of online puzzles and games with seasonal themes, from the “Gingerbread Man,” to “Ring the Bells” is found through A Kid’s Heart, online at:
http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/christms/chgames.htm

Here’s a list of games you can play together:
http://www.partygameideas.com/christmas-games/

If You Plan to Travel
On the road:
Highway conditions can be viewed anytime through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s site at:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Trafficinfo/

In the air:
The Federal Aviation Administration can tell you what the status of flights and airport delays are. For up to the minute information, see:
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

Weather predictions can be found through the Original Farmer’s Almanac:
http://www.almanac.com/

and Weather.com is another helpful resource. It offers hour-by-hour options. Just put in your zip code or location:
http://www.weather.com

Have a question about something else? Get answers fast at AskUsNow!
http://www.askusnow.info
We're available 24/7, even on Christmas!

Happy Holidays,
Your friends at Maryland AskUsNow!

Using Holidays to market AskUsNow!: Thanksgiving 2008

Maryland AskUsNow! is using T-day as an opportunity to do some preemptive reference. On it’s MySpace and Facebook pages, fans and friends of AskUsNow! saw a list of resources put together by AskUsNow! on various Holiday-related questions we hope will answer FAQ's and remind them AskUsNow! is a resource for them. Check it out:

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Are you prepared for the food, family, and fun?

To help you have a happy, safe, and healthy holiday, we’ve put together some resources we hope you’ll find useful.

Happy Thanksgiving from all your friends at Maryland AskUsNow! (We’re thankful for librarians and all our friends like you!)

—-
What do I do with this Turkey?
Butterball’s Thanksgiving guide is complete with shopping lists, conversations, thawing guides, seating, safety, what to do with leftovers, and more:
http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/thanksgiving-guide

I may need to know CPR
http://health.howstuffworks.com/cpr2.htm
(TIP: don’t know what the timing is? hum the Bee Gee’s Stayin Alive for the right rhythm (http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20081017/cpr-gives-stayin-alive-new-life))

Need to have a Vegetarian Thanksgiving?
Check out Mahalo’s suggestions: http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_have_a_vegetarian_thanksgiving or eHow’s “How to choose a Turkey Substitute for your Vegan T-day” http://www.ehow.com/how_4599009_turkey-substitute-vegan-thanksgiving-dinner.html

Worried about handling the family stress?
Check out the Mayo Clinic’s 12 tips for coping: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030 or the Family Guide’s Guide to Managing Holiday Stress: http://family.samhsa.gov/be/holidaystress.aspx

Want to send your thanks to our military?
Go to http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Usgresponse/Help.shtml#vgn-support-our-troops-vgn to send care packages, donate calling cards, or write letters, emails, or text messages of gratitude.

What’s the real story behind Thanksgiving?
History.com tells the tale of the First Thanksgiving: http://tinyurl.com/6jwxzx and what was actually on the menu. Also check out the Smithsonian’s site at http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/thanks.htm

Have kids to entertain?
Print out some coloring book pages here: http://coloring-page.net/thanksgiving.html or here: http://www.preschoolcoloringbook.com/color/cpthanksgiving.shtml or here: http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanks-color.html

Interested in Thanksgiving Facts?
The U.S. Census Bureau can help: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/012692.html

Traveling?
Check out highway conditions at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Trafficinfo/

The Federal Aviation Administration can tell you what the status of flights and airport delays are: http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

What is Thanksgiving like at the White House?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2008/

Want to volunteer this holiday?
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicService.shtml

Have a question about something else? Get answers at www.askusnow.info We’re available 24/7, even on Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays,
Your friends at Maryland AskUsNow!

Update: this went over REALLY well! A lot of people on facebook shared it with other people and it seemed to catch on a viral quality! yay!

Tips for Handling UK customers

Recently, public libraries from the UK joined the 24/7 Reference Cooperative which meant we were now part of an international cooperative. Yay! This also meant that we had some interesting things to deal with, including different legal and education systems, language barriers (who knew!) and other such things.

Last month, QuestionPoint had a training webinar called Answering Questions for UK Patrons. If you were unable to attend the webinar, it is now available online for viewing.

Check out the QP Blog for links to the 66 minute recording as well as resources.

Wikipedia or "Don't worry, we'll change it"

Bart: So Dean Martin would show up at the last minute and do everything in just one take?
Homer: That’s right
Bart: But Wikipedia says he was passionate about rehearsal
Homer: Don’t you worry about Wikipedia, we’ll change it when we get home
(thanks to Vince of AskHerePA for the reference)


There is a lot of controversy over whether or not to use wikipedia or other similarly-unreliable resources when helping customers answer their questions.

Sadly, the world is not at a point where people with information needs come directly to librarians for help- we are usually last on the list. When people come to librarians for help, it is usually after having searched their own brains, their friends brains, and google's "brains." Make sure when you send resources to customers that they're the very best for the customer's needs (and if you wouldn't consider what you're able to find, "the very best" give them options for a referral if they need it).

Before recommending any resource to a customer, don't forget the basics of web evaluation:

• Accuracy- Who wrote the page? What is the purpose of the document? Is this person qualified to write this document?


• Authority of Web Documents- Check the domain of the document, what institution publishes this document?


• Objectivity- View any Web page as you would an infommercial on television. Ask yourself why was this written and for whom?
• 
  
• Currency- Is the information on the page outdated? Are there dead links?


• Coverage- If page requires special software to view the information, how much are you missing if you don't have the software? Is it free or is there a fee, to obtain the information?

Bottom line- Would YOU use this site/information to answer the same question for yourself? Would YOU put it in YOUR bibliography? If the answers to either of those is NO, rethink what you're sending to your customers. For more details of evaluating websites, check out the UMD website

Things wikipedia is excellent for:

1. getting your head around a subject/topic you have no idea about before starting to search to find resources for the customer ("'good enough' knowledge" as wikipedia's founder calls it)


2. information on pop-culture (where else will you find information on Wawa references in music and film?


3. Can't-seem-to-find-it-anywhere-else information. Sometimes info is just hard to track down. The user-generated (aka long-tail experts) content may lead you to another resource, a mention, or new language you hadn't throught to search before

You represent yourself, your library, AskUsNow! and the profession every time you help a customer- be your fabulous and smart librarian self and rock their socks off with excellent, relevat, information that answers their questions! :-)

25 Great Resources for Valentines Day

Whether you use them for yourself or to help out a customer today, check out these 25 Great Resources for Valentines Day:

http://mashable.com/2008/02/12/valentines-day-resources