Bridget Jones's Diary…the electronic version

You’ve been reading the Roving Reference blog and savoring the awesomeness. You think to yourself, “This blogging thing is cool! I want to blog, too. Or have a blog…or blog about stuff. Oh whatever!”

The desire is there the knowledge is…not. What to do? First, research! Check out library resources on blogging. To search our catalog for print sources, you have to use the subject term “weblogs.”

Blogging for dummies
006.7 HIL
~ This is the latest book on blogging available. The dummies books are excellent at breaking down a subject to the basics and teaching it step by step.

Or for the online quick version go here, which gives you information on the history of blogs and their effect on the world and internet. For more practical information (like “How the heckleberry do I create one?”), you simply pick a blogging service and follow their steps on how to publish your amazing thoughts on the interwebs.

Here are some services:
https://www.blogger.com/
http://www.livejournal.com/
http://blog.com/
http://wordpress.com/
http://www.myspace.com/

This list is by no means comprehensive. There are many more blogs out there. You can search and find the one that’s right for you. Many blogs are more than just journals of your life. Some, such as LiveJournal, give you the ability to “friend” or watch other journals and post about their entries on their journal, and vice versus. You can create a whole network of friends online totally unrelated to your real life.

IM a Librarian

The Library now offers Reference assistance via IM chat. The service is initially available Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., but hours will expand in line with demand for the service.

Direct customers to the Ask a Librarian page where you will see a window under the words "IM Us." If the Librarians are available for IM Chat, the statement "The Osceola Library is online" will appear next to a green talk bubble. Customers enter their questions and receive their answers in the small boxes. If the Librarians are not online, customers may leave a question with an email address and they will receive a response via email when the Librarians sign on.

Go ahead and ask us a question if you want to test it out. It's totally anonymous and a lot of fun. We'll never know you're staff, unless you tell us! :)

Looking for Public Records?

Where can I get my birth certificate? Where can I find this person’s criminal record? How do I know my new neighbor is not a sexual offender?

These questions sound familiar? Or perhaps these are some questions you’ve been asking yourself. The Osceola library System offers access to many different types of public records, the trick is finding them…and in a timely manner at that!

The easiest way I find the answers to the above questions are:

Sourcebook to Public Record Information
REF 352.387 SOU – in the workroom and reference shelves
~ Contains information on where to find certain public records. Organized by state, and contains the address, website address, and phone numbers to state agencies, with explanations on what you can find.

Public Records Online
REF 025.06 PUB – Located in the law library
~ Contains a primer written in plain English on how to find different public records. Organized by state, it’s similar to the book above, but not as comprehensive.

Some of the information can be found on our Internet Links page

Happy hunting!

Back to School With You!

Yes, it's that special time of year again when children of all ages must be forced, bribed and/or coerced to return to school and continue their education. Since we often get questions relating to back to school info, here is the link to the Osceola County School District 2007-2008 School Calendar and Parents Guide. This should answer many of our customers' questions, such as "when does school start?" or "what number should I call to arrange for bus transportation for my child?"

In addition, the Osceola County School District will have a special back-to-school hotline available from 5pm - 9pm on the following dates to answer parents' specific questions:

Wednesday - August 15th
Thursday - August 16th
Friday - August 17th

The number for parents to call is 407-518-8159.