FREE
COMPUTER CLASSES EVERY MONTH
Hypertext, attachments, virus scanners, e-cards, hard-drive, ROM, RAM --- what does it all mean? Well, if you attend classes at the Central Library, you can learn the meanings of all these terms --- and it's free! The Electronic Resources Department has been offering free computer classes at the Central Library since 1998, and the program is still as popular as it was when it was first introduced to the San Antonio community. Classes are taught by library staff
who are trained to teach computer skills and assist users in surfing the web, addressing websites, searching for resources using
search engines and directories, emailing friends and family, and learning how to shop for a new computer and Internet service provider.
Library customers can request
to receive a monthly calendar of classes being offered. The calendar is also available online on the library homepage at
www.sanantonio.gov/library. Information includes dates and times of classes, descriptions of each
class, and registration guidelines. Classes are structured around a lecture at the beginning, followed by a hands-on portion of class where students can practice skills presented by the instructor. The hands-on portion is also when
students ask questions that they have about specific sites, searches, or functions.
Users may not be able to find all the answers, but this is an opportunity to research the
topic of their interest with some one-on-one assistance from library staff.
In addition to the core group of classes offered every month, school and community groups can also contact the Electronic Resources Department to schedule custom-designed workshops with a special focus on topics pertinent to the group. We have had groups ranging from elementary school classes to resident members of a seniors computer club! If you are interested in receiving more information about the classes, visit us at
http://www.sanantonio.gov/library/classes.asp
or call us at (210)207-2646 and leave your name and address. We will mail out a class calendar with all the information you'll need to register for a class today or call you to schedule a special-topics workshop for your group!
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New Electronic
Resources!
Renew and Place Holds Online!
You can now renew your books and media items from your home computer! Just go
to our website at www.sanantonio.gov/library
and under the "Services" option on the left-hand side, click on
"Personal Library Information". Enter your library card number
and last name to view your account, and there you’ll see an option to
renew. You simply select which items you’d like to keep longer and then
click. It’s easy!
Materials can also be
placed on hold from home. If there is an item in the catalog that you
would like to have held for you, just click on the "place holds"
button-it appears on the left column of the Full Record screen. You can then specify the branch where you’d like to pick it up
and when you receive a notice in the mail, it will be there waiting for
you.
If you have any problems
while trying either of these new features, please call (210) 207-2500 or visit your
library.
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.gov?
.com? .edu?
Everyone is
familiar with the embarrassment of dialing a wrong number. In the Internet
Age, we are now becoming familiar with the embarrassment of typing in a
wrong Internet address and arriving at an unwanted web page.
Because it is by far the most
common domain name, "com" is often typed in by default. But as
Internet addresses proliferate, new domains have been created to cope with
the demand. It’s analogous to the rise in area codes as more and more
phone numbers are used. Some of the most common additional domains are
"gov" used for governments both local and national,
"mil" used for military web addresses, and "edu" used
for educational institutions.
Anyone can purchase a domain name.
Sadly, this has been abused by providers of adult web pages. Knowing that
most Internet users will type in "com" automatically, the adult
content providers get hits to their page. Most hits are accidental, and
like the wrong number, unintended by the web user. Legitimate corporations
and celebrities have been fighting this problem for years, trying to get
their names protected from adult providers.
To avoid this situation, give some
thought to where it is you want to go. If it’s a government agency, its
domain will end in "gov", e.g., sanantonio.gov. Harvard.edu is
the university and so on. There are over a dozen domains currently in use,
with more being developed. Rather than try to memorize all the domains and
what they mean, try using a search engine instead. Try google.com
or yahoo.com and type
in San Antonio Government. It’ll suggest the legitimate web page you are
seeking, rather than an adult page you don’t want.
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Name
the Newsletter
 Please
help us name this newsletter! If you have any ideas for a catchy title,
please e-mail them to BSchorlemer@sanantonio.gov.
Your creative efforts will be seen by all the subscribers to this
newsletter, and we will of course give you credit. After all, this
newsletter is for you and we'd like your input.
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TRIVIA FOR COLD AND FLU SEASON
What makes people sneeze?
Sneezing usually occurs when
the nerve endings of the mucous membrane of the nose are irritated,
due to a swelling of the membrane. For example when we have a cold, or
when some foreign body such as a gnat invades our nose, or when allergy
and pollen season strikes.
Surprisingly enough,
sneezing can be brought on (or out!) when the optic nerves in our eyes are
exposed to bright light!
For whatever reason the
membrane is irritated, sneezing is a reflex act completely beyond our
control, by which the nose trumpets out air in an attempt to eject (and
project!) the irritating bodies. Sometimes, however, this is accomplished
only through multiple sneezes.
Medical science dispelled
ancient beliefs concerning the out-of-control sneeze, and snuffed out
superstitions in the process. Primitive people held the belief that a
sneeze signified approaching death, and immediately assisted the
distressed person by crying out "God help you!" Egyptians,
Romans, and Greeks, saw the sneeze as an omen of approaching danger, or
on a more positive note, as a way of foretelling the future. Lucky ones
sneezed to the right, while unlucky ones sneezed to the left. The moral of
the story is to know your right from your left, and to sneeze in that
direction, regardless of who is next to you!
Biblically speaking,
sneezing meant a certain death, until Jacob nosed in and made a deal with
God whereby a prayer per sneeze cheated the grim reaper. Pope Gregory the
Great, in response to the sixth century plague in Italy, carved out his
place in history as being the one responsible for insisting that prayers,
such as "God bless you!" be said in response to the deadly
sneeze. He did not, however, order that tissues be kept close at hand to
snare the airborne germs spewed forth by the sneeze.
Taken directly from the
website Useless
Knowledge. |
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FEATURED
DATABASE
At San
Antonio Public Library, we provide access to over 80 research
databases to help you find the information you need. To help
you become more familiar with them, this newsletter will highlight
a different database each month. This month we feature Reference
USA.
Available
only at the Central Library, Reference USA is a database that
provides detailed information on more than 12 million U.S.
businesses and 102 million U.S. residents. Called the phone book
database by many, there is a lot more available than just
addresses and telephone numbers.
Typical
business questions include:
- · How
many businesses are in the 409 area code?
- · How
many dog kennels are there in Austin?
- · How
many high schools are there in Omaha, Nebraska?
- · Who is
Taco Bell’s parent Company?
- · What
company is located at 622 W. Addison St, Chicago, IL?
Typical
residential questions include:
- · How
many individuals with the last name Green live in Dallas?
- · How
many residents live in the 98117 zip code?
- · Whose
phone number is 512-888-2344?
The
answers to these questions can be printed out or saved to a disk
(50 records at a time only) so that you can take them home if you
need to. And Reference USA claims that their quality, accuracy and
comprehensiveness makes them one of the "finest databases in
the industry." So if you need to know who the CEO of Tesoro
Petroleum is, or the phone number of that friend you roomed with
your freshman year, come in and use Reference USA. Ask a reference
librarian to show you how. |
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