Freezing Holds instead of Cancelling

Traveling for the holidays? Did you know that you can "Freeze" your holds while you are out of town, and then "Un-Freeze" them when you get back so you don't lose your place in line?

Here's your dilemma: The book you are waiting for has a really long holds list.

The good news: it might come in any day! The bad news: you might be gone when it comes in and you might not be back in time to retrieve it, since the library only keeps holds for six days before sending it along to the next person

To avoid this scenario, you could cancel your hold and then re-request it when you get back. However, you will lose your spot in line and get stuck at the bottom of the list. To keep your spot, "freeze" your holds in your online Minuteman account, instead.

To log in, go to the Minuteman Library Network catalog and click the "Login to My Account" button in the upper right hand corner.

In the middle of the page, you will see a link to your current holds, which you can click on to see more details.

You will notice that the far-right column says "Freeze." If you click this button, and then click the "Update List" button, your holds will remain frozen until you re-activate them.

When your hold is frozen, it will look like this:

And when you un-check the box and click "Update List", it goes back to normal!

This way, you will be "skipped" but not cancelled. And when you unfreeze, you will retrieve your spot in line instead of having to face the bottom of the list.

Happy traveling!!!

Consumers Corner

Not exactly finished with your Christmas shopping yet? (Don't panic - still two weeks left.) Not sure what to get Grandma? Or maybe you are already past this step (nice) and have actually come up with a brilliant idea for a gift (e-reader for your older sister- genius!), but now find yourself daunted by the confusing task of which one to get?

Maybe Nook? Or a Kindle?- but a Paperwhite or Fire!?? Nexus Tablet? i-Pad? Kobo? (What is a Kobo...) So many choices! Which one will she like? WHICH ONE IS BEST?!

Never fear. The library is at your rescue. Come visit our Consumers Corner, located on the second floor by our Periodicals office.

Here you will find a selection of publications perfect for your consumer needs - just in time for the holidays (lucky you.)

Resources include:

• Banker & Tradesman
• Boston Consumers Checkbook
• Consumer Reports Buying Guide
• Consumer Reports Magazine
• Shop Smart

So now when Dad wants a new TV, rest assured that you will not be getting him just any TV; you will be getting him a carefully tested and painstakingly reviewed TV that he will be sure to love.

And remember - you can access Consumer Reports from home through our databases site if you are a Framingham resident and have a library card. Look for the green icon on the homepage of our website:









You'll be able to use the A-Z index to browse all sorts of items - blender for your best friend, GPS device for your nephew, headphones for your cousin, blue-ray player for Mom, etc. View ratings and read articles as if you had the print issues in front of you.



Need any help accessing the database? Visit us at the Reference Desk, e-mail us at fplmail6@minlib.net, or give us a call at 508-532-5570 x4361.

Make holiday shopping easier this year by getting acquainted with a great resource- brought to you by your library.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

So you know about our databases, but have you visited our Gale Virtual Reference Library?

Printed Version

 Homework problems:

• Maybe you have an overload of web-based sources, but your assignment requires at least one print source.
• Perhaps you have too many secondary sources, but you are looking for a book containing just primary sources.
• Or maybe you desperately need access to a reference book, but can't make it to the library because it is closed or you can't get a ride.
• Perhaps you find the library book you have selected too heavy, and would rather open it in PDF format on your computer or tablet.
  

Well look no further!! You can do all these things (and more!) with Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Our Virtual Reference collection consists of printed books in electronic format that you can read in the convenience of your home- all you need is your library card. View the books exactly as if you had them in front of you (see picture above).

Or, view books in text format with click-able links (see picture above).

In fact, there's a plethora of viewing and downloading options.

Now you might be wondering how you are going to explain to your teacher that your source was in fact an actual book and not a web page, and also how on earth you are going to cite it on your Works Cited page. Fear not. You will find handy citation generators for each book (see pictures below). Of course, be advised that citation generators are not always perfect, so make sure to double check with an MLA or Chicago Style handbook when you're done.

We think the library just made your homework assignments a whole lot easier. To get started, dig out your library card (you'll need your number) and visit http://galesites.com/pub/fpl. And if you are able to make it into the library (always good), view many of these titles in print format on our shelves as well.

List of Framingham Public Library Gale Virtual Reference Books:
A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow, 1980-1989 (2000)
Acronyms, Initialisms & Abbreviations Dictionary (2010)
American Decades Primary Sources (2004)
American Eras (1997)
An Evening's Entertainment: The Age of the Silent Feature Picture, 1915-1928 (1991)
Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students (1998)
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (2001)
Biology (2002)
Biotechnology: In Context (2012)
Boom and Bust: The American Cinema in the 1940s (1998)
Contemporary Novelists (2001)
Crime and Punishment: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
Dictionary of American History (2003)
Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages (2006)
Encyclopedia of Bioethics (2004)
Encyclopedia of Business and Finance (2006)
Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion (2005)
Encyclopedia of Education (2003)
Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security (2004)
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (2003)
Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity (2005)
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (2004)
Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns (2007)
Encyclopedia of Religion (2005)
Encyclopedia of Small Business (2007)
Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa (2004)
Environmental Encyclopedia (2003)
Environmental Issues: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
Family in Society: Essential Primary Sources (2007)
Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear Through the Ages (2013)
Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law (2013)
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (2000)
Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History (1999)
Gender Issues and Sexuality: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
Gothic Literature: A Gale Critical Companion (2006)
Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources (2007)
Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930-1939 (1993)
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia (2003)
Human Diseases and Conditions (2010)
Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources (2007) 
Immigration and Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (2001)
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (2008)
Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them (1997)
Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979 (2000)
Major 21st-Century Writers (2005)
Mathematics (2002)
Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
Novels for Students
Poetry for Students
Pollution A to Z (2004)
Reference Guide to World Literature (2003)
Renaissance: An Encyclopedia for Students (2004)
Science and Its Times (2001)
Social Policy: Essential Primary Sources (2007)
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (2000)
Terrorism: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
The African American Almanac (2011)
The Emergence of Cinema: The American Cinema to 1907 (1990)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer (2010)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition (2013)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (2013)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders (2010)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2011)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (2008)
The Sixties: 1960-1969 (2001)
The Talkies: America's Cinema Transition to Sound, 1926-1931 (1998)
The Transformation of Cinema, 1907-1915 (1991)
The Writers Directory (2013)
Transforming the Screen, 1950-1959 (2003)
U.S. Immigration and Migration Reference Library (2004)
VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (2013)
West's Encyclopedia of American Law (2004)
World Eras
World Religions Reference Library (2007)

Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive

The  faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students at Northeastern University have created Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive 

Our Marathon is an online memorial and archive of crowdsourced stories, photos, video, and social media related to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and its aftermath. They  have collected more than 3,500 digital artifacts in the past six months but hope to collect many more. No story is too small for Our Marathon. 

To share your story please go to: 

 Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive

Museum passes update: $2 museum admissions for EBT card holders!

As the weather gets colder, you may be looking for things to do indoors. Remember, the library has free and discounted admissions to 15 different attractions, including the Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, Danforth Museum, Higgins Armory Museum and Worcester Art Museum. You can reserve passes online or by calling or visiting the library. Going somewhere and we don't have a pass? Check with one of the other 42 libraries in the Minuteman Library Network. Your card allows you to reserve and borrow passes at most member libraries.

And, attention EBT cardholders! Five Worcester-area museums have joined together to offer a three-month discount for all Massachusetts residents with Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. From October 1 through December 31, EBT card holders can present their card for a discounted $2 per person cash admission at the EcoTarium, Museum of Russian Icons, Tower Hill Botanical Garden, Worcester Art Museum, and Worcester Historical Museum.

Framingham Flu Clinics

Interested in getting your yearly flu shot? The Framingham Health Department will be offering a number of flu clinics in October and November. Please click on the picture to see available dates, times, and locations.

For all the latest on Framingham flu clinic information, contact the hotline at 508-532-5478.

Don't forget to bring your health insurance or Medicare card with you!



2013-2014 Framingham Flu Clinic Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine

National Book Award Finalists Announced

The following are the finalists for the National Book Award for fiction:

Rachel Kushner, The Flamethrowers
Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland
James McBride, The Good Lord Bird
Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge
George Saunders, Tenth of December

Here are the finalists for non-fiction:

Jill Lepore, Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin
Wendy Lower, Hitler’s Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields
George Packer, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America
Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832
Lawrence Wright, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief

Poetry finalists::

Frank Bidart, Metaphysical Dog 
Lucie Brock-Broido, Stay, Illusion
Adrian Matejka, The Big Smoke
Matt Rasmussen, Black Aperture
Mary Szybist, Incarnadine: Poems

Young People's Literature finalists:

Kathi Appelt, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp
Cynthia Kadohata, The Thing About Luck
Tom McNeal, Far Far Away
Meg Rosoff, Picture Me Gone
Gene Luen Yang, Boxers & Saints 

Winners will be announced on November 20th