Hi All,
I just found an interesting and possibly helpful site called Hard To Find 800 Numbers. Click here to go the site. A few things about the site are notable. First, there is an alphabetical list users can choose to find the business or organization phone number they are looking for. Second, there is a notes column that tells users which options to push once you call the telephone number.
I suspect we all have the same feeling of helplessness when we are stuck in an 800-number telephone tree of options (1 for Customer Service, 2 for Help, 3 for Information Regarding Your Account, 4 For More Information, 5 To Return to the Previous Menu...) so this extra column of options is pretty helpful.
Now, to segueway to an online database that the library provides for free...the database is called the ReferenceUSA and is a business type database. The database gives users the name, telephone number, contact information, maps, name(s) of the officers of the company, credit information, number of employees and more in an easily organized, easy-to-use, easy-to-read format!
Once users get to the library homepage (click here to go to the library homepage) Users should click on the Reference Tab on the homepage and then click on the Business link. Once you click on the business link scroll down to the name ReferenceUSA. Click on the link and you'll need to enter your Farmingdale library card number - the number is located on the back of the card and is 14 digits long. No spaces required and just enter the number - no capitals or anything else.
Once inside the database users can sift through company names by state, zip code, phone number, area code, size of business and much, much more. Information is updated once per year by InfoUSA - the parent company of RefUSA - so it is current.
Once last excellent feature of the resource - you can find peoples' address and phone number by clicking on the US Standard White Pages link a bit down on the page on the left side. Note also that users have the option of looking for New US Businesses, Canadian Business, US Healthcare businesses, or US New Movers/Homeowners.
For salespeople or for people who are just looking up a persons address this FREE database is the cat's meow!
Regards,
Stu
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
News For You! 24x7x365
Hi All,
Well, as if the 24 hour a day news cycle isn't enough there are many, many news sites/feeds on the web. Some of our reference favorites include:
LexisNexis News which is exactly what is sounds like. The free site gives users the latest news from over 4,000 news sources. Note that on the left side of the screen you can find links on topics that warrant special coverage (right now they are covering Iraq, North Korea, Immigration, and Terrorism. Scroll further down the page and you will find links to "People, Politics, Places" for quick news articles relating to that person or place...
Other excellent news sites include the New York Times - for good coverage of world and national news events.
Also, you might want to visit the Wall Street Journal to quench your thirst for business news- click here for the WSJ . Since Rupert Murdoch bought the paper some of the of the content is free. It is still a worthwhile resource to look at though.
Finally, one of my all-time favorite sites is the IPL2 - aka the Internet Public Library 2. Clicking on this link gets you to the main page of the site for Newspapers and Magazines.
Users can search for a particular newspaper by using the search box at the top of the page. Alternatively users can search geographically for newspapers by continent - seriously. Under the 'United States' (not a continent, I know...), users can search by state and then by city to find specific newspapers in that town/city.
Cool stuff - especially if you need to find out what is happening in a city in upstate New York if one of your kids is going to school up there. Or, if you are thinking of moving to an out-of-state location you can get the inside scoop on the politics, news, weather, local events, sports, etc of that area by finding the local paper and reading a bunch of back issues. Some newspaper sites are free; others are not so your mileage will vary with respect to gaining access to older issues of the newspapers you are interested in reading.
Regards,
Hope all the news you get (and need) is good news!
Stu
Well, as if the 24 hour a day news cycle isn't enough there are many, many news sites/feeds on the web. Some of our reference favorites include:
LexisNexis News which is exactly what is sounds like. The free site gives users the latest news from over 4,000 news sources. Note that on the left side of the screen you can find links on topics that warrant special coverage (right now they are covering Iraq, North Korea, Immigration, and Terrorism. Scroll further down the page and you will find links to "People, Politics, Places" for quick news articles relating to that person or place...
Other excellent news sites include the New York Times - for good coverage of world and national news events.
Also, you might want to visit the Wall Street Journal to quench your thirst for business news- click here for the WSJ . Since Rupert Murdoch bought the paper some of the of the content is free. It is still a worthwhile resource to look at though.
Finally, one of my all-time favorite sites is the IPL2 - aka the Internet Public Library 2. Clicking on this link gets you to the main page of the site for Newspapers and Magazines.
Users can search for a particular newspaper by using the search box at the top of the page. Alternatively users can search geographically for newspapers by continent - seriously. Under the 'United States' (not a continent, I know...), users can search by state and then by city to find specific newspapers in that town/city.
Cool stuff - especially if you need to find out what is happening in a city in upstate New York if one of your kids is going to school up there. Or, if you are thinking of moving to an out-of-state location you can get the inside scoop on the politics, news, weather, local events, sports, etc of that area by finding the local paper and reading a bunch of back issues. Some newspaper sites are free; others are not so your mileage will vary with respect to gaining access to older issues of the newspapers you are interested in reading.
Regards,
Hope all the news you get (and need) is good news!
Stu
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Time Out For Some Online Fun
Hi All,
Welcome to the weekend edition of the reference blog. How is this different than our regular, daily reference blog? Simple, this entry is dedicated to fun (since it is the weekend).
What fun are we talking about? We're talking, Sudoku fun, crossword puzzle fun, games fun - well, pretty much all things online that are fun!
So...if you like Sudoku - and who doesn't - click here to find more puzzles than you can shake a stick at. Site includes interactive tutorials and puzzles vary in difficulty.
If you are interested in crossword puzzles, click here for dozens of them which, like the Sudoku puzzles above, vary in difficulty.
If you have some time to while away the hours, might I suggest visiting Yahoo! ? Sure you know it as a large search engine and a great way to get news, weather and much more information - but did you know that the site has a huge game section? Click here to visit the Yahoo! Games portal.
The site has some very helpful tabs at the top of the page which include arcade games, board games, card games, puzzle games, word games, downloads, multiplayer games, skill based games, and video games. In most cases you will need to create a Yahoo! account (it is free and easy to create) to play the games for any length of time - but if you like the site it might be worth it to sign up. Again the account is free!
A very cursory look at the various board games available on the site is very interesting. Users can play chess, mahjong, backgammon, checkers, dominoes, boggle, risk and various jigsaw puzzles.
Finally, for those folks who are interested in jigsaw puzzles, the web is filled with sites to fill that jigsaw puzzle craving you have. You might want to visit Jigzone, and PuzzleWarehouse to find some puzzles to complete.
Regards and happy gaming!
Stu
Welcome to the weekend edition of the reference blog. How is this different than our regular, daily reference blog? Simple, this entry is dedicated to fun (since it is the weekend).
What fun are we talking about? We're talking, Sudoku fun, crossword puzzle fun, games fun - well, pretty much all things online that are fun!
So...if you like Sudoku - and who doesn't - click here to find more puzzles than you can shake a stick at. Site includes interactive tutorials and puzzles vary in difficulty.
If you are interested in crossword puzzles, click here for dozens of them which, like the Sudoku puzzles above, vary in difficulty.
If you have some time to while away the hours, might I suggest visiting Yahoo! ? Sure you know it as a large search engine and a great way to get news, weather and much more information - but did you know that the site has a huge game section? Click here to visit the Yahoo! Games portal.
The site has some very helpful tabs at the top of the page which include arcade games, board games, card games, puzzle games, word games, downloads, multiplayer games, skill based games, and video games. In most cases you will need to create a Yahoo! account (it is free and easy to create) to play the games for any length of time - but if you like the site it might be worth it to sign up. Again the account is free!
A very cursory look at the various board games available on the site is very interesting. Users can play chess, mahjong, backgammon, checkers, dominoes, boggle, risk and various jigsaw puzzles.
Finally, for those folks who are interested in jigsaw puzzles, the web is filled with sites to fill that jigsaw puzzle craving you have. You might want to visit Jigzone, and PuzzleWarehouse to find some puzzles to complete.
Regards and happy gaming!
Stu
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Car Repair Estimate Website
Hi All,
Welcome to a weekend edition of the reference blog! We hope you are having an enjoyable weekend - especially with this nice weather!
I was driving to work this morning and as usual I passed many, many car repair stations. I got to thinking about the prices that repair shops charge when fixing cars. It can be pretty expensive to fix car problems. And then I thought about the current economic malaise the country undergoing. I put two and two together and thought about some online resources that the library offers. I then thought of a good website: what if consumers could compare costs for auto repairs. Bingo!
RepairPal - Car Care Confidence is a useful and interesting website. Click here to link to RepairPal. So, what does the site do? Simply put the site gives users independent and unbiased repair estimates, user ratings, and free car care advice.
For example I chose to get a price for an engine overheating diagnosis for a 2006 Ford Taurus in Farmingdale (zip code of 11735). RepairPal gives the user a price range for the repair ($87-$110) along with a list of repair shops and dealerships (on the right side of the page) that can service the car. Contact info is listed as well. In addition, some brief info about the repair shop is included.
A good segueway follows from RepairPal.com...did you know that the library subscribes to a FREE ONLINE DATABASES CALLED THE AUTO REPAIR REFERENCE CENTER?
Click here to access the Auto Repair Reference Center. The Auto Repair Reference Center is a free online database that helps DIY'ers (do-it-yourselfer's) fix cars. The resource has repair tips, helps users troubleshoot problems, inlcudes service bulletins and wiring diagrams for domestic AND imported cars. Cars manufactured since 1954 - present are covered so the database is very comprehensive!
For car buffs and at-home mechanics, the database is easy-to-use, free and goes a long way to replacing the Chilton Repair Manuals. Users can print out specific instructions, diagnostic information and repair information all at the click of a computer mouse.
Finally, users can access the ARRC (Auto Repair Reference Center) anywhere you have internet access and your library card number! The database is intuitive, easy-to-use, and has good help features when needed. How is that for responsive and cost effective?
Regards - and we hope you enjoy the database!
Stu
Welcome to a weekend edition of the reference blog! We hope you are having an enjoyable weekend - especially with this nice weather!
I was driving to work this morning and as usual I passed many, many car repair stations. I got to thinking about the prices that repair shops charge when fixing cars. It can be pretty expensive to fix car problems. And then I thought about the current economic malaise the country undergoing. I put two and two together and thought about some online resources that the library offers. I then thought of a good website: what if consumers could compare costs for auto repairs. Bingo!
RepairPal - Car Care Confidence is a useful and interesting website. Click here to link to RepairPal. So, what does the site do? Simply put the site gives users independent and unbiased repair estimates, user ratings, and free car care advice.
For example I chose to get a price for an engine overheating diagnosis for a 2006 Ford Taurus in Farmingdale (zip code of 11735). RepairPal gives the user a price range for the repair ($87-$110) along with a list of repair shops and dealerships (on the right side of the page) that can service the car. Contact info is listed as well. In addition, some brief info about the repair shop is included.
A good segueway follows from RepairPal.com...did you know that the library subscribes to a FREE ONLINE DATABASES CALLED THE AUTO REPAIR REFERENCE CENTER?
Click here to access the Auto Repair Reference Center. The Auto Repair Reference Center is a free online database that helps DIY'ers (do-it-yourselfer's) fix cars. The resource has repair tips, helps users troubleshoot problems, inlcudes service bulletins and wiring diagrams for domestic AND imported cars. Cars manufactured since 1954 - present are covered so the database is very comprehensive!
For car buffs and at-home mechanics, the database is easy-to-use, free and goes a long way to replacing the Chilton Repair Manuals. Users can print out specific instructions, diagnostic information and repair information all at the click of a computer mouse.
Finally, users can access the ARRC (Auto Repair Reference Center) anywhere you have internet access and your library card number! The database is intuitive, easy-to-use, and has good help features when needed. How is that for responsive and cost effective?
Regards - and we hope you enjoy the database!
Stu
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Snapshots, Photos, Pix - Simple Photography
Hi All,
Now that Fall 2010 is really hitting its stride (okay, after today's little heat wave at least) folks who own a camera (digital or otherwise) have the opportunity to take some really great pictures. You'll get fall color, fall foliage and nice crisp air when you take pictures outside this season!
Today I'll discuss a photo website, a major local photography organization (networking and talking to other amateur photographers is a great way to learn) and a website in which users can upload their photos and get feedback from viewers. Onward we go!
Kodak - we've all heard the name of the iconic company. But did you know that if you visit the website and click on Tips and Projects a plethora of learning and teaching tools is at your disposal?
Click here to visit the Kodak Tips site which is very comprehensive and does not try to sell users anything 'Kodak' related. No hard sell here. Notice other parts of the site like Picture of the Day, Community-Tips and Projects, Tips From the Pros and Forums (where you can participate or just view the 'dialogue' between other photographers). Do not forget to click on the 'Learn' drop down menu - it is filled with other links that have techniques for photographing nature, holidays, or around the house photography.
Altogether a neat, easy to navigate and pretty darn authoritative photography website.
Okay, so now that you realize that you like photography and want to meet other like minded folks, where should you go? Simple - click on this link to the Photographic Federation of Long Island and you'll link to the homepage of the PFLI Online. They are an umbrella organization that links to all (many) of the photography groups and organizations on Long Island. The site has the link, phone number and website (if available) of many photography groups on Long Island. Take a look see if interested!
Finally, if you've taken some photos and want to show them to the world, a good starting point is 'Flickr'. Flickr is a Yahoo! owned website wherein users can show the world photos they've taken. Users can choose to make comments. Note that users need to sign up before uploading photos. It is not a difficult process to sign up!
Note that Flickr has a wide variety of photos available. It is not necessarily a 'photographer only' website so content, quality, interest and relevance varies on the site. Users can search for photographs using a search box at the top right side of the website.
Okay, one last site...if you do a Google search for 'photography' and 'websites', you'll find dozens and dozens of sites. Click here for that search. One final note - and this applies to any website that you view on the web.
If you want to find a good, quality, interesting website look for the following characteristics on the site:
Easy to Access - links work and connect to webpages' it purports to
Updated - make sure the site is relatively recently updated - not 5 years ago
Unbiased - is the site setting an agenda? is it trying to persuade you?
Accurate - is the 'author/publisher/writer' know what the heck they are talking about?
Site Usability - is the site easy to navigate? is the site always available?
Contact Information - can you find an email to send to the author/publisher of the site?
Shameless plug part of the entry coming up: If you click on this link, you'll find photography books in the Farmingdale PL. We have a huge collection of books on technique, digital photography and much more. You definitely don't want to miss the books - many of them are very current, gorgeous to hold and the pictures are stunning!!!
Regards and happy picture taking!
Stu
Now that Fall 2010 is really hitting its stride (okay, after today's little heat wave at least) folks who own a camera (digital or otherwise) have the opportunity to take some really great pictures. You'll get fall color, fall foliage and nice crisp air when you take pictures outside this season!
Today I'll discuss a photo website, a major local photography organization (networking and talking to other amateur photographers is a great way to learn) and a website in which users can upload their photos and get feedback from viewers. Onward we go!
Kodak - we've all heard the name of the iconic company. But did you know that if you visit the website and click on Tips and Projects a plethora of learning and teaching tools is at your disposal?
Click here to visit the Kodak Tips site which is very comprehensive and does not try to sell users anything 'Kodak' related. No hard sell here. Notice other parts of the site like Picture of the Day, Community-Tips and Projects, Tips From the Pros and Forums (where you can participate or just view the 'dialogue' between other photographers). Do not forget to click on the 'Learn' drop down menu - it is filled with other links that have techniques for photographing nature, holidays, or around the house photography.
Altogether a neat, easy to navigate and pretty darn authoritative photography website.
Okay, so now that you realize that you like photography and want to meet other like minded folks, where should you go? Simple - click on this link to the Photographic Federation of Long Island and you'll link to the homepage of the PFLI Online. They are an umbrella organization that links to all (many) of the photography groups and organizations on Long Island. The site has the link, phone number and website (if available) of many photography groups on Long Island. Take a look see if interested!
Finally, if you've taken some photos and want to show them to the world, a good starting point is 'Flickr'. Flickr is a Yahoo! owned website wherein users can show the world photos they've taken. Users can choose to make comments. Note that users need to sign up before uploading photos. It is not a difficult process to sign up!
Note that Flickr has a wide variety of photos available. It is not necessarily a 'photographer only' website so content, quality, interest and relevance varies on the site. Users can search for photographs using a search box at the top right side of the website.
Okay, one last site...if you do a Google search for 'photography' and 'websites', you'll find dozens and dozens of sites. Click here for that search. One final note - and this applies to any website that you view on the web.
If you want to find a good, quality, interesting website look for the following characteristics on the site:
Easy to Access - links work and connect to webpages' it purports to
Updated - make sure the site is relatively recently updated - not 5 years ago
Unbiased - is the site setting an agenda? is it trying to persuade you?
Accurate - is the 'author/publisher/writer' know what the heck they are talking about?
Site Usability - is the site easy to navigate? is the site always available?
Contact Information - can you find an email to send to the author/publisher of the site?
Shameless plug part of the entry coming up: If you click on this link, you'll find photography books in the Farmingdale PL. We have a huge collection of books on technique, digital photography and much more. You definitely don't want to miss the books - many of them are very current, gorgeous to hold and the pictures are stunning!!!
Regards and happy picture taking!
Stu
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