Category Archives: Database

Certification Exams? No Sweat!

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July is a traditional month for those seeking  certification in their chosen fields to submit to licensing examinations. ( What we older folks used to call your “state boards”)  My daughter is seeking certification as a Veterinary Technician and wants to practice for her state test. We decided to see if the library has a database with practice tests and discovered that Learning Express Library has dozens of practice tests for a multitude of careers and fields. We clicked on the left side of the homepage on Occupation Practice Tests.

The Vet Tech practice tests were grouped in the Nursing and Allied Health section, Licensure and Certification Test Preparation. There were also state licensing practice tests for Physical Therapists, Dental and Medical Assistants, Pharmacy Techs, Surgical Techs and many more.  There are also practice tests for teaching certification as well as for Real Estate licensing. If you or someone you know is prepping for any state certification tests, Learning Express Library can give you that added advantage!

 

Chronicling America

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Many visitors to the Clermont County Public Library already know about the genealogy resources that we offer, in print and digital formats. We have a variety of materials specific to the history of Ohio and Clermont County. We also provide online access to databases, such as Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, World Vital Records, and more.

I recently found out about another great online resource, Chronicling America, The National Digital Newspaper Program in Ohio. This website is a partnership of the Ohio Historical Society, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Library of Congress. Through an NEH grant, the Ohio Historical Society is digitizing Ohio’s microfilmed newspapers, published between 1836 and 1922. The current focus of the project is on the Civil War era, between the years of 1845 and 1894.

In addition to being used for genealogy, Chronicling America is also searchable by topic. Students writing reports can find a variety of topics, including the building and sinking of the Titanic, the Wright Brothers, prohibition, the Civil War, and World War I. This is a great way to find out what was being reported about these events, while they were happening. You may also find pictures to use in student displays.

I found this site fun to search, and enjoyed seeing how things were reported and advertised. I hope you get a chance to use this great resource!

The Power of Observation

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Since the last lesson I took in my Private Investigator class was developing observation skills, I decided to put mine to use! I picked a busy public place that had a building and parking as my test area. I decided to sit in my car and pretend to read a book while wearing sunglasses.

For a while, I just watched people park their cars and walk to and from the building. To keep myself from sleeping, I tried to guess if the person would 1) quickly start the car 2) check their mobile device or c) put on lipstick. Most people checked their phones or fiddled with the radio. It is always interesting to watch people park their cars; some hastily turn into a spot while slowly pull in, then out, then in and still never seem to get parked between the two lines. Ah, better luck next time, right?!

Eventually one subject caught my eye because she exhibited fidgety behavior, pacing back and forth by the doors. Occasionally, she would stop to look at a flyer, but I could tell her attention and focus were elsewhere. While she never noticed me, I could not stop looking at her, trying to figure out what was making her jumpy. Others who passed her did not take a second glance.

Eventually, she connected with the people who must have been preoccupying her thoughts, their interaction was brief and then she walked to her truck and left the parking lot.

This exercise made me realize that I catch myself unnecessarily worrying about what others think as I’m piling items in my grocery cart or working out at the gym. Unless there is someone practicing their private investigation skills, no one is probably as concerned about me as I am myself.

As previously noted in my Universal Class course, being a private investigator requires patience and persistence. If I had to spend the afternoon sitting in my car, waiting to observe my subject, I might become the fidgety one. Upcoming lessons include Internet searching, public records and background checks, so if those topics pique your interest, you might look forward to my next couple of posts.

As always, you can choose from hundreds of classes offered by Universal Class. It is free and easy to sign up – simply search for Universal Class on our database page and follow the instructions. If you need help, call us or stop by the library for a visit.

Mango Language Database

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Make the most of your travels abroad this summer by learning a few conversational phrases before you go by using CCPL’s database – Mango Languages.

Mango is an online language learning system that teaches real conversation skills for practical communication.  Available on the library’s website,  Mango offers  49 language experiences including Spanish, Italian, and German and  15 English as a Second Language ( ESL) lessons with  different levels of fluency.  The basic level offers lessons for common  and practical phrases that can be learned over a few short hours.  The more advanced level offers more in-depth lessons in language and grammar skills.

Mango uses the Google translation engine to translate phrases or conversations from one language to another.

You can access  Mango Languages on Clermont County Public Library’s website by going to  www.clermontlibrary.org and click on Research and Homework then click on Databases,   All you need is a computer and a library card.

Type Mango Languages in the search box  or scroll down the list  to Mango Languages.

Click on Access Database.  In Mango you have the option to create an account in order to track your progress or you can click on the Start Learning  button.    Choose the language you wish to learn and click on basic or in-depth lessons and you are on your way.

Be sure to check out our other language materials at the library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Chat at the Amelia Library – Travel Resources May 11, 2012

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Join fellow travelers at the Amelia Library on Friday, May 11th at 10:30 a.m. as we chat about travel websites and the Mango language database.   The Mango Language database is available on the library website.  It is a database  where you can learn a few foreign phrases to use during your travels or learn a language in-depth for more extensive travel.

Clermont County library also has language learning materials on CD and phrase books and dictionaries that can be checked out.

During our chat we will explore some of the websites on the internet.

Most of the major travel guide companies have websites that are easy to access such as Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor.  Many include reviews and travel tips by other travelers.

The CDC  is a website maintained by the Centers for Disease Control  that will give you updates on needed vaccinations and travel alerts.

The State Department provides information about passports and the National Park Service has information on the National Parks.  The National Park Service has recently devoted a webpage to Civil War History for the 150 years anniversary.

If you are looking for alternative transportation Airlines, Buses, and Trains all have their own  website where you get information about making reservations and travel.  Travel Apps are also available for your mobile phone.

Don’t leave home uninformed. Join us at the Amelia Library as we explore travel resources on Friday, May 11th.

Memphis, we have a problem (in which the pie crust comes roaring back and evens the score)…

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Paula: 1 – Big Bad Pie Crust: 1

So, let’s just say that I had my first official do-over or as I like to call, my ‘Mulligan’ pie.  My initial attempt at the Sweet Potato Pie yielded an important lesson: when cutting a pie crust recipe in half because you only need one 9-inch pie crust, don’t forget to also cut the amount of water you need in half…if not, you will have pizza dough, instead of pie crust.  Lesson learned.  Moving on.

Still slightly scarred by my pie crust failure, I decided to buy another ready-made pie crust and made a second attempt at the pie, using a different recipe. Not only was this pie a total success, but it was also quite tasty and calorie friendly thus proving that you can take this class without blowing your diet.  Check out the results below and if you are tempted to give it a try, here is the link to the recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/11/sweet-potato-pie.html

Feeling guilty that I didn’t make my own pie crust for my two previous assignments, I was determined to make the crust for my next pie…the Fruit Pie.  In my mind, there was only one choice for this assignment – the Apple Pie.  I don’t have much to say about the pie other than I did make my own pie crusts, correctly following the recipe.  I did discover while I don’t mind making my own pie crust, I don’t really like rolling out the dough.  Despite covering everything, including myself, in flour, the dough still sticks to my rolling pin and the counter.  I feel like I need to sprout a second set of hands to hold everything in place.  Here is my apple pie, overflowing with ‘appley’ goodness!  Paired with vanilla ice cream, it was divine.

Next up…the Holiday Pie.  According to the lesson, the holiday pies are delicious treats that increase the fun of holiday celebration.  Bring on the party in a pie crust!

It’s not Procrastination, I’m Just Too Tired to Lift My Arms

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You know the best thing about Universal Class? I mean other than the fact that it’s free or the ridiculously amazing number of courses you can take of course.

It’s the fact that you can work at your own speed. Say, for instance, you are part of the team that opens a shiny new library branch, right in the heart of Clermont County’s shopping hub. The sort of amazing new branch where you opened more than 1,000 new library cards for patrons in the month of February or where almost 75,000 items have circulated so far this year (And that was back at the beginning of March when I first wrote this!)

Yeah, you might be kind of busy in an branch like that. But unlike other learning institutions, Universal Class lets you work around your schedule.

I’m not going to lie, I haven’t had the energy to do much of anything since you last heard from me. I scrapped the 365 Photo Project and I stalled out on Lesson 2 roughly three days after my last post. But I logged into my Photography 101 class this morning and was able to pick up exactly where I left off in January.

Lesson 2 is all about learning how to actually use my camera. We learned about adjusting settings like the white balance, shutter speed, and ISO, as well as about ‘tools of the trade’ that we might need like tripods, extra batteries, flashes and lenses. This was the hard core camera info that I was looking to learn! Our homework assignment was great; we just had to play around with the various settings and see how they changed images. I submitted the picture above, a composite of the same photo taken over and over at different shutter speeds for my homework. (That’s Darcy the Donkey, Gaelic Storm’s mascot if anyone was wondering.)

So that’s my story. I promise to have taken at least a few more lessons before I talk to you again. That being said, I’ve now signed up for Time Management 101 in addition to Photography. I think they might have some advice I can sorely use!

Boost Your Blooms

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The relatively mild winter we’re experiencing this year is making many of us turn our thoughts to Spring and what we hope to achieve in our lawns and gardens. Don’t overlook the resources found in Consumer Reports! The Lawn and Yard Guide, which can be found from our Databases and Website Subject Guides, is chock full of invaluable tips and tricks for buying and maintaining lawn mowers ( you know you have to sharpen those blades every year!) , string trimmers and gas grills.

But wait – there’s more! Consumer Reports has a clickable map which reveals the best type of grass seed for your area of the country. Thinking of adding some lighting to your walkways or patio? Consult the field guide to lighting design. There is even a Pest Patrol which discusses battling the bane of every gardener’s existence – moles and grubs.

You can access all this information from the comfort of your home – Consumer Reports can help you dream up the perfect landscape. Happy gardening!

 

 

 

PI Also Stands for Persistance and Intuition

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In my last post I speculated as to whether I would need a camera if I were to become a private investigator and lo and behold the next lesson about tools of the trade started with cameras. It appears I’ll need a camera, laptop, note-taking supplies, binoculars, a digital voice recorder and a mp3 player to keep my sanity. Sounds like I’m going to need to take Amy’s personal finance class and see if my budget can afford this occupation.

Recalculating. By the way, it makes no mention of a GPS or map. Look at me and my observations (toots own horn).

Moving on to personal qualities, a private investigator needs the skills of patience, persistence, observation, quick-thinking and intuition. Luckily, if I am lacking any of these qualities, there are exercises I can do to improve. I would say my intuition was correct in thinking I would need a camera, score one for me. Okay, maybe I need to dig a little deeper.

Since these lessons are short, I moved on to the next one and learned there are four major investigative skills one needs to develop or hone: gathering data, verifying facts, analysis and interviewing. Again, exercises are provided to help work on these skills. For example, if interviewing isn’t my strength, the lesson suggests talking to people I don’t know or if I don’t like talking on the phone, practice talking out loud. These skills tend to overlap with what I do as a librarian, so I gave myself a check plus in this area!

Despite scoring well on all my assignments and quizzes, I do not have plans to quit my day job. However, I am happy this Universal Class provides plenty of exercises and questions about the nature of the occupation and whether it would be a good fit. Do I have patience, persistence, intuition, do I observe and am I quick thinker? Find out in my post next month!

Sign up for your own class. Universal Class offers hundreds of classes on a wide variety of subjects – all for free! It’s easy to sign up – simply search for Universal Class on our database page & follow the instructions. As always, call us or stop by the library for a visit and we’ll be happy to help.

Score Card: Paula: 1 – Big Bad Pie Crust: 0

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Move over Marie Callendar, there’s a new Pot Pie Queen in town and her name is Paula…no not Deen.  However, with the two sticks of butter that went into my pie crust that might not be far from the truth!  I am happy to report that I successfully tackled my fear of the homemade pie crust, and I am quite certain that Martha Stewart heard her kitchen timer chime and knew that somewhere in the world another person had made their first pie crust.  I must confess that it was much easier than I had imagined – not as easy as opening a box of pre-made crusts, mind you, but still not the slavish task that I made it out to be in my head.

So, having added pie crust making to my wheelhouse, it was time to move on to Assignments 3/4 – the Main Dish Pie.  With options such as Beef Cottage Cheese Pie, Salmon Pie and Spinach Pie, the clear choice was the Chicken Pot Pie.  In the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I used a ready-made crust, instead of making my own, but the filling was all my doing.  Again, it would be so much easier to pull out a frozen pot pie and microwave that baby for dinner, but I must say that I derived a certain amount of pleasure from making my own from scratch.  It was a beauty and as an added bonus, it tasted great, too!

Next up…the Sweet Pie, which truth be told is the reason most people want to make a pie – for dessert!  I have my eye on the Sweet Potato Pie with a homemade shortening crust.  So stay tuned to see if this Northern girl can tackle this Southern staple…