"Reference collections and services have changed considerably in the last three decades. We have moved from all services coming from the reference desk to a more fluid environment where users can be served in person, by phone, email, virtual reference/chat, instant messaging, texting, skyping, etc. Collections have changed too-from print collections, microfilm, microfiche and microcards to e-resources and e-books plus e-research collections in institutional...

Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does--humans are a musical species. Oliver Sacks's compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological...

The second of Immanuel Kant's three critiques, "Critique of Practical Reason", published in 1788, is considered by many to be one of the most important works on the subject of moral philosophy ever written. Written several years after his first critique, "Critique of Pure Reason", this work addresses Kant's views on moral philosophy and what it means to be good and ethical. In this work, Kant explores his philosophy of the categorical imperative,...

Reference librarian Megan Clark has a passion for fictional crime ̶ but when she and her fellow book group members go from reading mysteries to solving them, they discover that real-life crime is more complex than the most puzzling whodunit....The Murder by the Yard book group has been going strong for six months, and Megan Clark is eager to celebrate ̶ and increase membership. For fun and publicity, she volunteers her friend, Dr. Ryan Stevens,...

"Long known as the go-to management consultant of the design world, Keith Granet reveals more of his clear-eyed insights about running a creative business in this follow-up to his book The Business of Design. While aimed at creative enterprises, Granet's advice, quickly summarized as "know what you do best and focus on that," applies to any organization, small or large, commercial or nonprofit. He delves into the skill sets and people needed to grow...

Rethinking documentation for the digital age. The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Works are published today in a dizzying range of formats. A book, for example, may be read in print, online, as an e-book, or perhaps listened to in an audio version. On the Web, modes of publication are regularly invented, combined, and modified....

The World Almanac® is America's bestselling reference book of all time, with more than 83 million copies sold. For more than 150 years, this compendium of information has been the authoritative source for school, library, business, and home. The 2024 edition of The World Almanac reviews the biggest events of 2023 and will be your go-to source for questions on any topic in the upcoming year. Praised as a "treasure trove of political, economic, scientific...

"Few people can write on the English language with the authority of Bryan A. Garner. The author of The Chicago Manual of Style's "Grammar and Usage" chapter, Garner explains the vagaries of English with absolute precision and utmost clarity. With The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation, he has written the definitive guide for writers who want their prose to be both memorable and correct. Throughout the book Garner describes standard literary...

"Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there's drink there's drunkenness. But in every age and in every place drunkenness is a little bit different. It can be religious, it can be sexual, it can be the duty of kings or the relief of peasants. It can be an offering to the ancestors, or a way of marking the end of a day's work. It can send you to sleep, or send you into battle. A Brief History of Drunkenness traces humankind's love affair...

Tiny house experts Shelley and Joshua Engberg show you how you can join the revolution to downsize without giving up everything you hold dear. This is not about downsizing drastically or giving up a lot of your necessities for a comfortable and entertaining space. This is about redefining what a house is and mastering organization, location and happiness. As avid campers and offroaders, Shelley and Joshua present the best tips and tricks as you enter...