Databases+Librarians+You=Better Grades?

School has started and we wanted to go over how to get to our databases once again.

Go to this page:

Terrebonne Parish Library Databases

and check out the many useful databases we've got.

As an information professional I guarantee that, with a little practice, you or a student you know can use these databases to make finding high-quality information much, much easier. And that should make better grades easier, too.

We're especially proud to announce that we've got WORLD BOOK ONLINE up and running. That link is set to take you directly to the World book "Info Finder," and that should be a good start.

Also, be sure to check out the Louisiana State Library's Databases. Just enter your Knowledge Card (Library card) number in the blank.

And don't forget to ASK TESS! if you have a research or study question you just can't seem to answer.

The Terrebonne Parish Library's Reference Department takes its motto seriously: "Your Information is Our Mission."

Lung Cancer/COPD Awareness Month

Ever been around somebody smoking a cigarette? Don't they smell terrible? They don't look so hot, either. Well, November is LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH and COPD AWARENESS MONTH, so you might take the opportunity to tap your friend on the shoulder and say, "Hey! You don't just look and smell bad, but you're killing yourself and possibly me!" Then, direct them to this blog so that they might explore the following links:

Lung Cancer

The National Cancer Institute's Lung Cancer Page--has so much good, solid information laid out so neatly that it makes you feel like a medical professional just to look at it. Includes an amazing Dictionary of Cancer Terms.

The American Cancer Society has chapters all over America with support and information for victims of the disease.

Medline Plus is the user-friendly interface of the National Library of Medicine.

And what if you DO get diagnosed? Cancer.net has a find an oncologist database that helps you find a doctor who can treat it.

COPD

What, exactly, IS COPD? Once again, the National Library of Medicine can help.

The American Lung Association's COPD Center has great information about the disease.

The Mayo Clinic's COPD page is very easy to use and well-organized.

About.com's COPD page is run by a registered nurse with respiratory therapy expertise...and a useful and informative blog.

This article from Medline tells us the number one cause of COPD: smoking.

American Diabetes Month

Around here, a lot of folks get diabetes and it makes many of them sick. Genetics, poor diet and lifestyle make south Louisianians of all stripes sitting ducks for the malady. Diabetes, on a personal note, lead to the death of my father. For the most part, however, the kind of diabetes that Americans get is adult-onset and is preventable. The key to knowing how to prevent it is knowledge, and the Internet is chock full of good anti-diabetes information.

The American Diabetes Association has information for laypeople, doctors and even the newly diagnosed, telling people how to avoid the disease or how to manage it if they have it.

Medline Plus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, is a top-notch source of information on all health topics, but has especially good information on diabetes.

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a sub-group of the National Institutes of Health.

The Center for Disease Control's Diabetes Public Health Resource has up-to-the-minute information on diabetes prevention and treatment.


The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Center has a useful question-and-answer section.

Nutrition.gov is the government's website telling us what scientific research says is a good idea to eat--and not to eat.

So that could get you started. Also, be sure to check out the library's card catalog to see what we have in the system about diabetes.

I do hate to be dramatic, but it might just save your life.

Louisiana Constitutional Amendments & Genealogy Link Reminder

Part One

Every time the State of Louisiana has an election with its confusingly-worded constitutional amendments, the good folks at the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, Inc. publish nifty voter guides that put it all in plain English so that we who didn't go to law school can figure out just what it is they're asking us to vote on.

Best of all, the guides are in handy PDF form so that you can download them, print them, and even hand them out if you want to. Take a look at the 2008 amendments. And VOTE!



Part Two

Even though the website seems to have sat fallow for a good while, there are still some great links featured on the website of the State Library of Louisiana. Especially useful to Louisiana genealogists is the page with "Online Genealogy Sources." As you look through them, you'll notice many are Louisiana-specific and that even those that aren't can be useful to Louisianians who know how to "work it."

If you're interested in your family history, be sure to visit the Reference and Genealogy Department on the second floor of the Main Library in Houma.