From the IN Box

Just a few short items that landed on my desk:
--After 133 years, the government of the United States is ceasing publication of Statistical Abstract of the United States. Long a mainstay of libraries' ready reference collections, the 1000 page annual fell victim to a cost-saving program. Bernan Press and Proquest have announced their intention to keep SA alive.
--To apply a library-centric filter to your voting preferences, see the ALA's Legislative Scorecard.
--It's looking like the Minuteman Library Network will not acquire bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey for Overdrive because of its erotic content. Individual libraries are free to use their own funds to buy the ebook version.
--Margaret Atwood on the strike at Toronto Public Library: "People support libraries, but sometimes don't understand that it takes people to make them run. Just as it takes writers to write new books..."
--RL

Another big piece for your family history puzzle

It's a great season for Massachusetts genealogists! First we hear that the 1940 Census will be available on April 2. (See the Mar. 12 post)
Then, in the March 20 Globe there was an article about Delene and Jay Holbrook, an Oxford couple that spent 30 years collecting vital records from the dusty basements of town clerks around the state. In all, they accumulated 17 million records dating from 1620 on up. Of course the information itself is public and free, but with the added value of actually collecting it, the Holbrooks were able to sell the whole treasure to Ancestry.com. To do a search, find your favorite founding father, or just have a look, come to the Library to access the Ancestry database. (At the Ancestry home page, look for the menu titled More Collections. Choose Recent, and them Massachusetts Town Vital Collections.) Ancestry will also have the 1940 Census.
--RL
Please note that as of March 21, not all data was loaded into the Ancestry database.

Popular SF & Fantasy

Most Popular SF & Fantasy books at the library since July. A Dance with Dragons has the most circulations, followed by the other books in the series, followed by the other books on the list.

A Dance with Dragons By Martin, George R. R. 2011-07 - Bantam Books 9780553801477 Check Our Catalog Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by "TIME" magazine, Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his landmark series--as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire. …More

Rule 34 By Stross, Charles 2011-07 - Ace Books 9780441020348 Check Our Catalog Head of the Rule 34 Squad monitoring the Internet for illegal activities, Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh investigates the link between three ex-con spammers who have been murdered. …More

Unnatural Issue By Lackey, Mercedes 2011-06 - Daw Books 9780756405755 Check Our Catalog Richard Whitestone is an Elemental Earth Master. Blaming himself for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth, he has sworn never to set eyes on his daughter. But when he finally sees her, a dark plan takes shape in his twisted mind. …More

Hammered (the Iron Druid Chronicles, Book Three) By Hearne, Kevin 2011-07 - Del Rey Books 9780345522481 Check Our Catalog "Hammered" is the third title in an original series about Atticus O'Sullivan, the last of the Druids. In this final outing, Viking vampire Leif Helgarson asks Atticus to help take down Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Original. …More

The Moon Maze Game By Niven, Larry Author Barnes, Steven 2011-08 - Tor Books 9780765326669 Check Our Catalog Set in the year 2085, "The Moon Maze Game" tells the story of a deadly live-action role-playing game conducted on the Moon itself. …More

TB

Encyclopedia Britannica Dropping Print

Ever wonder where your mandibula is? Been caught out in the rain one too many times to arrive at a library that's just closed? Well, years back the answer to shell out a few hundred dollars and get your own copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The advent of the internet began the iconic publication's demise and the later appearance of Wikipedia all but assured its irrelevancy to the general public so it was to some people's surprise that, when the company announce earlier this week that they're dropping its print editions in favor of a digital version, the Encylopedia Britannica was even still around. I'll always fondly remember the commercials, however, which spell out for you the dire consequences of not having its multi-volume set at your house to help you out of sticky scholarly situations.





MW

1940 United States Census

For everyone who's interested in genealogy, the US Census from 1940 will be available to the public on April 2. Census information is kept confidential for 70 years and then released to the public. This is the year for the 1940 information to make its debut!




http://www.1940census.archives.gov/


maf

Shutesbury!!!!!

We are so fortunate to have a library as large, well-appointed and well-provisioned as the Wellesley Free Library. It's a pleasure to work in, study in, visit, find just the right books and attend a cool program in. Shutesbury residents don't have quite as good...
--RL