All posts by Brian Herzog
New Database: Literary Reference Center
Chelmsford Library patrons now have a new way to research books and authors: Literary Reference Center.
Searchable from either your home or the library, this database has full-text information on thousands of authors and their works. Content is broken down into a number of categories (plot summaries, synopses and work overviews, author biographies, literary journals, poems, short stories, classic texts, author interview and more). All search results are gathered into convenient tabs for easy organization.
Information can best be found in one of two ways:
- For broad searches on topics or subjects, use the Find: search box near the top of the screen
- To find specific authors or works, use the Browse Authors/Browse Works links near the middle of the screen
Other features include a Literary Glossary (for definitions of literature-related words), a timeline of works and their historical context, a research guide, help with citing sources, and frequently-updated books and author highlights.
Access to Literary Reference Center is funding by NMRLS. For help accessing or using the database, please contact the Reference Desk.
authors, books, chelmsford library, database, databases, library, literary reference center, literature, lrc, research
Fall 2007 Community Newsletters Are Here
If you haven’t already received yours in the mail, the Fall 2007 edition of the Chelmsford Community Newsletter are available in the Library.
Printed copies are both in the Periodicals Room and at the Reference Desk. Also, on the Town of Chelmsford’s website, there’s an online version [pdf, 1.26MB].
As always, the Community Newsletter is filled with Town information and events. Here are some of the highlights:
- Senior Center – page 4
- Habitat for Humanity – page 5
- Sewer Project Update – page 6
- Recycling Events – page 8-10
- Cultural Council – page 11
- Chelmsford Library – page 12-17
- Recreation Department – page 18-50
- Battle of the Bands – page 52
chelmsford, community newsletter, events
Friends Book Sale 2007
Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2007 Friends of the Chelmsford Library Book Sale!
A tremendous number of items have been donated for the sale, so it should be bigger than last year. The sale will be held at the Town Offices building, 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford (map), and the dates for this year’s sale are:
- Fri. Sept 14 – 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Sat. Sept 15 – 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Sun. Sept 16 – 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
For more information, please visit the book sale page.
book, book sale, books, chelmsford library, chelmsford public library, friends, friends of the chelmsford library, friends of the library, sale
Upcoming Program Series: Financial Fitness
The Library is sponsoring a 6-part series on Financial Fitness, Investing, and Retirement Planning.
The first sessions will be an introduction to the topic, geared towards those who feel there’s more they should be doing with their finances and assets, but don’t know where or how to begin. The later sessions will build on the first and get into more details.
The first session, “Introduction to Financial Fitness,” will be held on September 13th and then repeated on September 27th, for those who can’t make the first date. The instructor is Rishi Sondhi (more about Rishi).
To learn more about this series, please visit the webpage. Also, you can read more in an article from the Lowell Sun.
Also, there is a handout of finance and investing books, periodicals, and other resources in the Library: click to download [pdf, 128kb]
chelmsford, chelmsford library, economics, finance, financial, investing, money, programs, retirement, rishi sondhi, series, sessions
Last Book Sale Drop-Off for 2007
The final drop-off day for the Friends of the Library Book Sale will be Wednesday, August 29th. Items can be dropped off between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Yellow house next door to the library.
A tremendous number of items have already been donated for the sale, so it should be bigger than last year. The sale will be held at the Town Offices building, 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford (map), and the dates for this year’s sale are:
- Fri. Sept 14 – 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Sat. Sept 15 – 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Sun. Sept 16 – 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
For more information, please visit the book sale page.
book, book sale, books, chelmsford library, chelmsford public library, donations, drop off, drop-off, dropoff, friends, friends of the chelmsford library, friends of the library, sale
New Titles Added to Overdrive
A new selection of downloadable audiobooks have been added to Overdrive. To review or download them, go to http://mvlc.lib.overdrive.com and click on “New Titles” from the menu on the left side of the page.
For assistance with searching or downloading audiobooks from Overdrive, please contact the Reference Desk.
audiobook, audiobooks, downloadable audiobook, downloadable audiobooks, overdrive
Improvements to the InfoTrac PowerSearch Database
Database vendor Gale has released a set of new features to the InfoTrac databases and the PowerSearch platform. These databases can be used to find articles appearing in magazines, journals and books on a wide variety of subjects.
Many of the features were developed in response to end-user feedback. Some of the key features to note are:
- Enhanced Navigation, including a new “Document Tools” box (print, email, cite, download, translate) on each document
- RSS feeds for instant search and/or journal alerts
- “Did You Mean?” search feature provides alternate spellings and more preferred search terms
- Search Within Results, to help pinpoint specific information
- Enhanced Bookmarks, allowing direct access to articles
- Improved “How-to-Cite” tools
If you’re interested in learning about more enhancements or seeing what the changes look like, Gale has prepared a presentation (requires Microsoft PowerPoint): http://www.gale.com/Technical/PowerSearchSummer.ppt [ppt, 1.25MB]
To begin searching InfoTrac, please log in from the Library’s Databases webpage.
For help with this or any other Library database, please contact the Reference Desk.
article, articles, database, databases, gale, research, searching, thomson gale
Publication for New Residents
The Chelmsford Library recently started receiving the newspaper The Homesteader, a publication geared towards new homeowners.
Based in Concord, MA, The Homesteader is a monthly newspaper providing a guide to local food and restaurants, destinations and day trips, arts and entertainment, as well as tips on home and garden, pets, and health and fitness.
Copies are available in the Periodicals Room of the Library, or visit their website at http://www.thehomesteader.com
home owner, home owners, new, new residents, the homesteader
August 2007 Calendar Available
The calendar for August programs at the Library is available. Copies can be picked up at any desk in the library, or you can download the August calendar [pdf, 651kb] and print it yourself.
Also, check our online calendar, Childrens programs, and MacKay Branch programs to keep up to date with what’s happening in the library!
Upcoming programs will also be announced in the Chelmsford Independent.
august, chelmsford, chelmsford library, events, library, programming, programs
Recycling in Chelmsford
Recycling bins have been placed at McCarthy and South Row schools. Chelmsford residents can drop off their recyclables at these sites at any time. More recycling bins in additional locations may be coming in to town, too.
For more information on recycling in Chelmsford, including news, upcoming events, contact information and recycling regulations, visit the Recycling Department’s website.
chelmsford, drop off, recycle, recycling