Category Archives: Database

Isn’t there an app for this?

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I’m gonna be honest. I have no interest (oh, look, a pun!) in learning about the world of finance. The words “stock” and “market” when used together cause my eyes to glaze over like a Christmas ham.

Discovering exactly what CDs and hedge funds are doesn’t do it for me, but using my amazing powers of “no duh” I’m guessing they have nothing to do with music and gardening, respectfully.

Unfortunately, I realize the saying, “A fool and his money are soon parted” is very much true. And if I’m ever called a “fool” I’d rather it be in reference to my mad dancing skills and not because I used my savings account to buy shoes I saw on an episode of “Sex and the City.” *

So here we are – me and Universal Class – learning the crazy world of personal finance. Over the past several weeks, I’ve learned the difference between gross earnings and net worth. Yeah, that was painful and depressing, but it’s a necessary pain – finding out where you stand financially is the first step to getting where you want to be in the future.

So let me break it down for you: your gross earnings are your income before taxes and deductions; your net worth is your financial value after adding all assets and subtracting all debt.

To figure your own net worth, add the value of the assets you own, including but not limited to cash, securities, personal property, real estate, and retirement accounts, and subtract your debt.

Hopefully, you come out with a positive number… But if your debt is more than your assets, you have a negative net worth. Wow, negative worth? That’s just harsh. But if you find yourself facing this situation there are countless books, courses and professionals that can help you set up a plan to turn your negative net worth into a positive. You can even sign up for the very class I’m writing about: personal finance 101.

Want to do more than read about our experiences with Universal Class? 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!

*Like I’m gonna tell you if that’s true or not.

Dear Fancy Camera…

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lesson 1

Dear Fancy Camera,

  • Fact: You are an amazing camera.
  • Fact: I occasionally take amazing pictures with you, my amazing camera.
  • Fact: I have no idea how this happens, I’m pretty sure it’s dumb luck.

When my family all pitched in and bought you a few years ago I had dreams of grandeur; all the amazing things we were going to do and see and record for the posterity of the world. Then, I got you out of the box, took a look at all the buttons, knobs and unintelligible abbreviation and promptly set you to ‘Auto: No Flash’. And, with few exceptions, that’s where you’ve stayed. I know you’re capable of so much more, but every time I try to learn I just get confused and bogged down with jargon I don’t understand.

When the opportunity to use you as part of a Universal Class project for the library came up, I was stoked. Every year we try to complete Project 365 together and ever year I fail horribly because you scare me just a little. I thought that, maybe, this was the year, maybe this is the kick in the pants I need to learn how to actual use you so that together we could be awesome! I signed us up for Digital Photography 101, and as you might have noticed, we’ve been awfully busy learning about photography and cameras.

lesson 1.2So far things have been going great. No prior photography experience was needed for the class so we started out in a place I was comfortable in (that’s code for I had no idea what was going on and they took care of me.) I learned all about digital camera history, metering and picking out a camera (that was easy, I picked you!) before completing our first assignment.

You clearly already knew about The Rule of Thirds because you come with that cool grid inside your viewfinder, but I was fascinated in how framing a shot can make such a difference. Basically, if I draw a great big Tic Tac Toe board across your screen and then focus the most interesting parts of the shot in the places where any of the lines cross, the shot will be more dynamic, interesting and generally awesome. I think the shots we turned in for our homework were a great example of how that works! We’ll start our second lesson this week, so make sure you clean out your filters and charge your battery because it’s going to be a pretty exciting adventure!

Love,

Laura

P.S. If you want to see the photos that we’ve taken so far check out our flickr collection here.

Private Eyes are Watching You

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My horoscope said it was the perfect time to sign up for an online class and we all know horoscopes are 100% accurate so I signed up for a course in Universal Class. Scanning the selections, I decided on How to be Your Own Private Investigator and immediately saw myself transported from the library, speeding down the road, dodging bullets going from adventure to adventure as the female Magnum P.I.

Shortly into my lessons I read I did not need a mustache to be a private investigator ala Magnum P.I. Excellent, I’m already off to a great start! Then, I was jolted into reality and learned that private investigation isn’t exactly what you see on television or read in the books. What?!

Private investigators work in the areas of work compensation fraud, piracy, accounting investigation, loss prevention and corporate espionage. The two main areas of the job are surveillance work and research. Sounds like I can parlay some of my librarian skills into the research side, but first I need to focus on the next few lessons about making observations.

Bookmark this blog and follow along on my journey into private investigation and whether surveillance involves sitting in a car eating donuts. Oh, that’s right, not every occupation lives up to its stereotypical movie counterpart. Be on the lookout for a Database Diaries post from Laura S. about photography! Hey, maybe we could be a team?!

Want to do more than read about our experiences with Universal Class? 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.

Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad…Crust?

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Well, apparently I am because the thought of making my own pie crust, from scratch, is synonymous with doing my taxes – necessary, but certainly not something I have ever looked forward to, especially when I can have someone else do it for me – like the Pillsbury dough boy.

So, maybe you are like me, you enjoy baking, have even made a pie or two, but have never ventured beyond buying a ready-made pie crust from the store.  Or maybe you just really like pie – it is after all one of America’s cultural icons, despite the fact that pie has been around long before Christopher Columbus even considered being an explorer when he grew up.

With the temperature outside dropping, this seemed like the perfect time to turn on the oven, sign up for Pie Baking 101 through Universal Class and tackle my fear of the big, bad crust.  I have made it through the first lesson – “History of Pie – An Introduction” – who knew that the first pies date back to 2000 B.C. and were a favorite food of the Ancient Egyptians?  Not me.  And now I am ready to tackle Lesson #2 – “Cooking Pie Crusts”.  As my instructor says, “Cooking good pie crust is the most important part of preparing a pie.”

Well, that is all for now – the next time you hear from me, I should have mastered the pie crust and moved on to Main Dish Pies.  Between you and me – I think I will skip the Beef Cottage Cheese Pie and the Salmon Pie, but I have high hopes for the Shepherd’s Pie and the Turkey Pot Pie!  My goal after I complete each lesson is to bring the results, which should hopefully be an edible pie, into work and let my co-workers be the guinea pigs…I mean, the judges of my pie-baking prowess.  I will share their feedback with you – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Bookmark this blog & follow along on my personal pie-baking journey, and in the upcoming weeks, be on the lookout for Database Diaries posts from Andrea and Laura who will take on private investigation and photography!

Want to do more than read about our experiences with Universal Class? 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!

Show Me the Money

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“Money.”

Depending on the day and my checking account balance that word either sets off a what-can-I-buy daydreaming session or sends me searching into the back of my cabinets for those Ramen noodles I’ve probably had since college. You’d be amazed how many packages of Ramen noodles you can score for super-cheap.

I’m sure many of you have been in similar situations. We could all probably benefit from having a little more padding in our bank accounts, especially in this economy. Every little penny counts. Whether you’re looking for ways to make more pennies or looking to save the ones you already have, I’m right there with you.

That’s why the personal finance class offered through the library database Universal Class appealed to me so much. Sure, I know how to balance my checkbook and “budget” enough money during the month for gas, groceries, etc., but that’s about the end of my financial expertise. And when I say “budget” I mean, “yeah, that looks like enough money to cover it.”

“Personal financial management is the map, meteorologist and travel agent in plotting your journey to maintaining and sustaining your own wealth. ” -Personal Finance instructor Jerry Borland

During the first lesson, we briefly covered the three basic steps of managing finances effectively:
1) Plan – gather data and create a snapshot of your finances. Track your spending, maintain your checking and savings accounts, and assess your true financial worth.
2) Execute – the key to managing debt. By using the data gathered during the planning stage, you can create a budget to either curb your spending or increase your income.
3) Travel- once your finances are under control, your bills are manageable and you know how much you’re worth, you might discover extra money that you used to piddle away that you can now use to travel or live out your someday-when-I-have-money dreams. The author makes a point that maybe traveling isn’t even your bottom line, but that the bottom line is this:

“By taking the burden of “have to,” off of your financial view, you stand a better chance of actually accomplishing your goals.”

This week’s lesson was a short-and-sweet intro into the sometimes-daunting world of personal finance. I’m sure I’m going to learn so much in the next 6 months during this class*. What I’m hoping to learn from this personal finance class, and what I’m hoping the readers of this blog will learn is how to manage money more effectively. Because I know from experience that there’s nothing worse than wondering where all your money went and not having a thing to show for it.

Bookmark this blog & follow along on my personal finance journey, and in the upcoming weeks, be on the lookout for Database Diaries posts from Paula, Andrea and Laura — lots of fun information on pie baking, photography and private investigation coming your way!

Want to do more than read about our experiences with Universal Class? 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!

*When you sign up for a class through Universal Class you complete the lessons at your own pace, but have 6 months to finish your lessons from the day you begin the classes.

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Let’s face it – if someone gave you an all-access pass to read their diary, you’d do it wouldn’t you? I know I would… and have. Hey, you call it a journal or diary; I call it a memoir. It helps abate my guilt.

So here’s our open invitation to read the diary of four brave souls chosen to be library guinea pigs using the database Universal Class. You remember Universal Class, right? The database we introduced last summer? The one that offers hundreds of personal and professional enrichment classes for free? Yes, that one.

So here we are: Amy P., Paula G., Andrea B., and Laura S. – the library guinea pigs. We’ll blog about personal finance, pie baking, photography basics and how to be your own private investigator, respectively! Follow our adventures on this blog, where we’ll be posting our experiences with the database and all the fun that comes with it. Pull up a chair, grab a “cup of Joe” and dig into the not-so-scandalous musings of the Database Diaries.

Making the Most of Flea Market Finds

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The 127 Sale also known as the World’s Longest Yard Sale runs from August 4-7 and spans five states from Michigan to Alabama. If you love to rummage yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores for treasures then this is the yearly sale for you.

Whether you’re setting out in search of collectibles or hoping to haul home items for shabby chic decorating, check out books from the library ranging from price guides to furniture makeovers.

Antique collectors can find price and background information on antiques, collectibles, fine art, and historic Americana using the p4A Antiques Reference database available through the Research and Homework page.

Make it Legal with Law Depot

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While librarians are unable to dispense legal advice, we are able to direct patrons to the information they seek. Often we meet patrons who wish not to seek legal counsel for creating legal forms and would rather photocopy such forms from books at the library. To help with these requests, CCPL now offers Ohio legal forms through Law Depot. This database allows patrons with Internet access to create do-it-yourself legal forms at any time of day.

Law Depot contains the expected forms, such as a living will, power of attorney and residential rental agreement, but there are forms for musical band partnership agreement, child care services agreement and roommate agreement. At this time Law Depot does not offer Ohio divorce forms, but it does provide prenuptial and separation agreement forms.

Patrons will find forms in the major areas of wills, real estate, sales transactions, business, cohabitation and consent. Most forms take about 15 minutes to create by asking questions and provide blank boxes for completion. Law Depot requires users to create an account and will save the documents, which can also be downloaded as a Word or HTML document.

Clicking Ohio forms in the Law Depot menu header provides a list of all forms available as well as a link to a video explaining how to use the database. Links for help and frequently asked legal and site questions are available on the left side of the page.

So after you have taken the guitar class through Universal Class and you are ready for your first performance, access Law Depot to create a performance contract!

To access Law Depot, visit CCPL’s Research and Homework page, select databases and scroll to Law Depot.

¡Hola Bonjour Ciao Olá Hello Mango Languages

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Mango is a language learning database that uses real-life situations and actual conversations to teach a new language rather than just presenting grammar and vocabulary. The interactive set-up of Mango allows patrons to listen and repeat after material designed from native conversations learning the words and phrases as well how to use them in practical situations and conversations.

Patrons will be required to create an account and from there be able to select from 35 languages including the top five languages, Spanish, French, Dutch, Italian, and Japanese. Additionally, interested patrons may access 15 English-as-a-Second Language (ESL), packages to help foreign language speakers learn English.

The course is presented on slides for easily tracking lessons. Conversations are shown in English and as they are spoken in the chosen language the words switch as well. Additional slides break down the words in the conversation to provide the pronunciation. Users can even record their voice and compare it. The timer slides allow users to practice speaking a presented word. Throughout the lesson are cultural notes about the language, which keeps things interesting.

I began my lesson online, but was curious about the iPhone app. After downloading the app, I signed into my account, selected my language and begin my course. The layout for the app is similar to the website in presenting the conversation, words and pronunciation on slides and speaking the language while providing an opportunity to repeat it back.

If you are ready to learn a new language in an interactive format, visit the Language Arts and Writing subject guide and login into Mango.

Research World Vital Records

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With genealogy being CCPL’s most popular area of databases, we are excited to announce the addition of World Vital Records to our collection. With so much information housed in World Vital Records, at first glance it may seem daunting, but it is worth taking the time to explore.

If you know where information may be located, you can choose a state and begin your search. For example, I chose Ohio and then input a surname and found a college yearbook for one family member and a newspaper photo of another family member in a small town Ohio paper. I was able to save the newspaper article as a PDF, but I could have posted it to my Facebook or Twitter accounts.

A broader search returned photos of grave markers, records of Russians immigrating to the United States, family biographies and more. With so much information available, I will have to take a little more time to check out these sources.

While World Vital Records may have the same Social Security death index, U.S. Census and voter information as other databases, it is still a resource researchers will want to become familiar.

Visit CCPL’s Research and Homework page, select databases and scroll to the bottom to access World Vital Records.