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5th September 2011
New
OUP quiz - for a prize of £50 worth of books or an iPod shuffle
- Answer the three questions on the OUP (Oxford University Press) Public Library Members Quiz page, using the online resources from OUP, for a chance to win either £50 worth of OUP books or an iPod shuffle!
- The winner will be chosen from the correct entries after the closing date of 30th September 2011
- Log in to the Oxford University Press resources here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Theory
Test Pro update
- Some important extra features have been added to Theory Test Pro, the great resource on the Virtual Library where you can practise your driving theory test online
- The new 'Driving instructor question bank' means you can now study to become a driving instructor using Theory Test Pro
- The new improved hazard perception tests mean you can view a series of video clips in the same sequential format as the one you will see when you take the official test. Also added to the tests is a new disqualification feature which detects when you are clicking too often, something that is often cited as a reason for failure. All of this has been done to make the simulation as close to the real test as possible
- You can read more about all the new features at the Theory Test Pro blog
- Log in to Theory Test Pro with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Recent
Topic Pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference's Topic Pages make it easy for you to find a range of resources on a topic, on many subjects, including art, medicine, literature and science
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time, including pages reflecting recent events. Some recent examples are:
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Recent Topic Pages |
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
New
news archive from 1937 - the Tribune Archive
- Tribune Archive is a new online archive from the weekly news magazine. It gives you a searchable database containing every issue of Tribune from its launch in January 1937 to the present
Population
estimates Mid-2010
- Statistics on 'Resident Population Estimates, Mid 2010' are now available at the Neighbourhood Statistics web site from the Office for National Statistics
- You can search for detailed
Summer
holidays in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- Learn about the Great British holiday-makers in the Oxford DNB, from travel agent Thomas Cook to Billy Butlin, at Summer holidays in the Oxford DNB
- You can view the selections without logging but to view the whole ODNB, log in with your library number and PIN.
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
4th August 2011
Consultation
on major new planning proposals
- New draft proposals for a great change in how planning works have been published for consultation, by the Communities and Local Government department
- You can read the draft proposals and see details of how to send your comments at National Planning Policy Framework
- Find articles and comment by searching the many national and regional newspapers at Newspapers Online
'BBC
Desert Island Discs' archive now online
- BBC Desert Island Discs archive from the 1940s to the present is now online
- You can listen online to the radio programmes from July 1998 to the present. For earlier programmes you can search or browse to find different castaways' choices - their discs, book and luxury
- You can search for a castaway name or choice, or browse lists of castaways by decade, occupation, presenter or gender
- Which records did Michael Palin choose in the 1970s? Which castaways have chosen discs by Shirley Bassey? Beethoven? Jimi Hendrix? What was the luxury item chosen by Simon Cowell?
Images of women's suffrage banners
- A further batch of images relating to women's history has been added to the Mary Evans Picture Archive. The images are from The Women’s Library, part of London Metropolitan University, which holds the most extensive collection of women’s history in the UK
- The latest selection includes a large number of designs for suffrage banners by renowned stained-glass and poster artist Mary Lowndes
- You can view the selection on the Mary Evans site here
Report
on disabled people and employment
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A report on how a major change in benefits is affecting disabled people has been published by the House of Commons Select Committee on Work and Pensions, following their Inquiry which they began in March this year
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Read the background to the Committee's Inquiry and view the report at Migration from Incapacity Benefits to Employment Support Allowance. Scroll to the foot of the page for links to the two volumes of the report
Report on housing and care for older people
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The All Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care has produced a report into 'Living Well at Home'
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The report "aims to highlight the importance of the role of housing alongside social care and health" and makes recommendations to overcome "the obstacles to getting assistance with basic home improvements, or domiciliary help unless care needs are absolutely critical"
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View the report and its background at APPG on Housing and Care for Older People: Living Well at Home
Speech
Accent Archive
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How different do people all around the world sound when they speak English? You can find out at an archive of recordings held at a US University
- Read about the archive here then search or browse recordings online at The Speech Accent Archive
Recent
Topic Pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference's Topic Pages make it easy for you to find a range of resources on a topic, on many subjects, including art, medicine, literature and science
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time, including pages reflecting recent events. Some recent examples are:
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Recent Topic Pages
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- Log to Credo Reference here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
7th July 2011
New proposals for funding adult social care
- Major changes to the system for funding adult social care in England have been proposed by the Commission on Funding of Care and Support
- Read a quick summary of the proposals at the Government's News Distribution Service
- For full details see the Commission on Funding of Care and Support web site
- The Commission is chaired by Andrew Dilnot and is often referred to in the press as the Dilnot Commission
Circus
Quiz from Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Try the OUP quiz about stars of the circus and you could win £50 worth of Oxford University Press books or an iPod Shuffle
- You can look up information in OUP reference books by logging in to Oxford Reference Online with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
- Enter the Circus Quiz here
Spanish
Civil War 75th anniversary
- The Spanish Civil War began 75 years ago this month. To mark the 75th anniversary, The National Archives has made records relating to British and Irish volunteers in the war available online
- For details, go to the Virtual Library's new Spanish Civil War page, where you will also find links to other sites for background information, interviews, posters, videos and images
14th
July - Bastille Day
- 14th July will be the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789 during the French Revolution
- You can look up information and find images in online reference books by searching Bastille at Credo Reference. Log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
- The Open University's Learning Space has a large section on the French Revolution, with a page on the Fall of the Bastille
- Take a look also at resources at The National Archives
New
books at Credo Reference
- Below are some new books and updated editions added to Credo Reference, one of the huge collections of online reference books available to you on the Virtual Library
- Click a title link below, enter your library card number and follow the drop-down menus until you can click on your nearby Bedford Borough or Central Bedfordshire library
- Alternatively, log in here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
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New titles added to Credo Reference Featured Title
Would you like to read more on this topic? Take a look at these additional titles in the 'Medicine'
section of Credo |
New
books at Oxford Reference Online Premium
- Here are some new books added to Oxford Reference Online Premium
- To view a book, click a title link, enter your library card number and follow the menus until you can click on your nearby Bedford Borough or Central Bedfordshire library
- Alternatively, log in here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
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New titles
New editions
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Recent
Topic Pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference's Topic Pages make it easy for you to find a range of resources on a topic, on many subjects, including art, medicine, literature and science
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time, including pages reflecting recent events. Some recent examples are:
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Recent Topic Pages
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Statistics
on Rural England
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The Statistical Digest of Rural England 2011 is a new publication from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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It gives you overview statistics, split by rural and urban areas, on a range of social and economic subjects such as crime, employment, education, broadband, business start-ups, health, poverty, transport, housing and more
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The economic section contains indicators on productivity, earnings and economic activity and indicators relating to economic growth
9th June 2011
Recent
Topic Pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference's Topic Pages make it easy for you to find a range of resources on a topic, on many subjects, including art, medicine, literature and science
- Each Topic Page includes an overview from a key reference work, definitions, articles from specialist encyclopaedias and may include images, videos, related topics and more
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time, including pages reflecting recent events. Some recent examples are:
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Recent Topic Pages
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
- You can discover more featured topic pages at the Credo Reference Blog
New
OUP Quiz - for a prize of £50 worth of books or an iPod shuffle
- Answer the three questions on the OUP (Oxford University Press) Public Library Members Quiz page, using the online resources from OUP, for a chance to win either £50 worth of OUP books or an iPod shuffle!
- The winner will be chosen from the correct entries after the closing date of 31 July 2011
- Log in to the Oxford University Press resources here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
17th May 2011
Bob
Dylan at 70
- Bob Dylan is 70 years old on 24th May 2011. You'll find many links about him on Google but for accurate reference book material on his life and works take a look at Credo Reference
- You'll find information there about him from many books, including The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, Encyclopedia of American Studies, Marquis Who's Who in America, among others
- Log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
The
National Heritage List for England
- The National Heritage List for England is a new online database that brings together information on all nationally designated heritage assets in one place for the first time
- You can search for:
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Listed Buildings Scheduled Monuments Protected Wreck Sites Registered Parks and Gardens Registered Battlefields |
Adult social care - new recommendations
- The Law Commission, the statutory independent body that keeps the law under review, has completed its project on Adult Social Care and published a report recommending reforms to the system of adult social care, which would affect older people, disabled people, people with mental health problems and carers
- There is also a readable summary at the Disability Alliance web site
Olympics
images on Europeana
- The web site Europeana gives you resources from Europe's galleries, libraries, archives and museums
- For example, try this collection of thousands of images about the Olympics from many periods. You can also select other tabs here for texts, videos or sound
Recent
Topic Pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference's Topic Pages make it easy for you to find a range of resources on a topic, on many subjects, including art, medicine, literature and science
- Each Topic Page includes an overview from a key reference work, definitions, articles from specialist encyclopaedias and may include images, videos, related topics and more
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time, including pages reflecting recent events. Some recent examples are:
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Recent Topic Pages
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
- You can discover more featured topic pages at the Credo Reference Blog
Native
American Art on Oxford Art Online
- Oxford Art Online has added several batches of articles from the Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, including a selection of articles on Native American artists. Links are at the recent Oxford Art Online Update
- To read the articles, log in to Oxford Art Online here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
American
Music additions on Oxford Music Online
- Many more articles from the forthcoming second edition of the Grove Dictionary of American Music have been added to Oxford Music Online, including new entries on Hispanic/Latino music, concert music of 1900–1950 and music education. Links are at the recent Oxford Music Online Update
- To read the articles, log in to Oxford Music Online here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
20th April 2011
Help for carers from Central Bedfordshire Council
- Do you provide care or support for someone? If so, take a look at the Looking after someone page on the Central Bedfordshire web site. You will discover the help and support that the Council can provide to carers
- There are links to detailed factsheets at the end of the page, in the 'Related documents' section
- In the menu at the left there is a link to the Carers' Forums page. The next Carers' Forum is on 11th May 2011
OUP Quiz - for
a prize of £50 worth of books or an iPod shuffle
- Answer the three questions on the OUP (Oxford University Press) Public Library Members Quiz page, using the online resources from OUP, for a chance to win either £50 worth of OUP books or an iPod shuffle!
- The winner will be chosen from the correct entries after the closing date of 31 May 2011
- Log in to the Oxford University Press resources here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Credo Reference Topic Pages
- Credo Reference new Topic Pages make it easy for you to find a range of resources on a topic, on many subjects, including art, medicine, literature and science
- Each Topic Page includes an overview from a key reference work, definitions, articles from specialist encyclopaedias and may include images, videos, related topics and more
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time, including pages reflecting recent events, such as:
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Recent Topic Pages
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- You can discover more featured topic pages at the Credo Reference Blog
- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
12th April 2011
New books at Credo Reference
- Below are some new books and updated editions added to Credo Reference, one of the huge collections of online reference books available to you on the Virtual Library
- To view a book, click a title link, enter your library card number and follow the drop-down menus until you can click on your nearby Bedford Borough or Central Bedfordshire library
- Alternatively, log in here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
'Understanding society'
- The first findings of a major study called 'Understanding Society' have been published by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), covering a wide range of areas of people's lives and experiences
- 'Understanding Society' will follow 40,000 UK households and has potentially huge long-term implications for the understanding of the UK in the early 21st century
- These first findings include a wealth of information across a wide range of topics including family life, employment during the recession, young people's attitudes to climate change and how where you live can affect your life chances
- To read the report, go to The early findings of Understanding Society on the ESRC web site and click the link 'Understanding Society - summary of first findings'
- You will also find there links to press releases such as 'The better off sleep better' and press reports such as 'Happiness is...living and eating with your parents'
Free online images of historical documents from the National Archives
- The web site Anglo-American Legal Tradition: Documents from Medieval and Early Modern England from the National Archives in London gives you scores of images of scanned historical documents from the National Archives
- At January 2011 it has 6,000,000 frames of historical material
- At present the images run from 'The first legal system:(1176) to 1348' up to to 'The fourth legal system' as far as the time of Anne
23rd March 2011
Byki
Mobile!
- Byki Online, the easy online language-learning system on the Virtual Library, also gives you 'Byki Mobile' free
- With 'Byki Mobile' you can take Byki Online language-learning on-the-go, free, with your Apple iPad, iPhone or iPod touch!
- Log in to Byki Online then click the 'Byki Mobile' button and follow the simple instructions
15th
March 2011
Byki Online, language-learning system
- Learn the basics of a language fast with Byki Online, a great new resource on the Virtual Library!
- Byki Online is a powerful language-learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases - a very fast way to lock foreign words and phrases in your long term memory
- Choose from over 70 languages and learn words and phrases in a foreign language 'Before you Know It' (Byki)!
New books at Credo Reference
- Below are some new books added to Credo Reference, one of the huge collections of online reference books available to you on the Virtual Library
- To view a book, click a title link, enter your library card number and follow the drop-down menus until you can click on your nearby Bedford Borough or Central Bedfordshire library
- Alternatively, log in here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
New
books at Oxford Reference Online Premium
- Here are some new books added to Oxford Reference Online Premium
- To view a book, click a title link and enter your library card number
- Alternatively, log in here with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
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Oscar
winners in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- View biographies of Oscar winners in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online
- Click Oscar winners in the Oxford DNB and enter your library card number
3rd
March 2011
International Women's Day
- International Women's Day will be on 8th March 2011
- See the International Women's Day web site to find out all about this year's events and themes around the world, history of International Women's Day and more
28th February 2011
Byki
Online
- Byki Online is a powerful language-learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases - a very fast way to lock foreign words and phrases in your long term memory
- Choose from over 70 languages and learn words and phrases in a foreign language 'Before you Know It' (Byki)!
- Byki keeps track of your progress so each time you revisit the site you can continue from where you left off.
What's new 9th February 2011
Google Art Project
- With the new Google Art Project you can wander online around many of the world's great art galleries and zoom in on many of the artworks to view them in detail
- When you see on screen a cross next to a painting, that indicates that the painting is one on which you can zoom in
- At each gallery there is one (at the moment) artwork that you can zoom in on even more so that you can even see individual brush strokes
- For further details, click the 'Visitor Guide' link at the top right of the Google Art Project page and for each museum click the "i" link
AVoCet - Huge
online database of bird recordings
- AVoCet is a new online database of thousands of sound recordings of birds
- You can search by common name or by scientific name or click 'Browse recordings' and listen to bird songs, calls and 'non-vocal sounds'
- Project AVoCet is at the Avian Vocalizations Center of Michigan State University and it "aims to provide a global database of well-documented, downloadable bird sounds in aid of environmental and ornithological research, conservation, education, and the identification and appreciation of birds and their habitats"
VisitWoods.org.uk
- Find lovely woods to visit at VisitWoods.org.uk, a searchable database from the Woodlands Trust
- You can search by location or by the name of the wood, the landowner and the county
- You can further define the search by features, such as ancient trees, bluebells, waymarked trails and many more; and by facilities, such as cycle hire, picnic facilities and many more
Census
2011
- Census Day is 27th March 2011
- Find out all about the Census 2011 here
New books from Credo Reference
- Here is a list of some new books added to Credo Reference, one of the huge collections of online reference books available to you on the Virtual Library
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To search or browse the collection, just
log in with your
library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can
join the library now. Don't
have a PIN? You can request a PIN
now
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The Anti-Capitalist Dictionary, Zed Books
A Biographical Dictionary of People in Engineering: From Earliest
Records to 2000, Purdue University Press
Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of
Opera, Thames & Hudson
Seals
held at the National Archives - free images
- Over 3,000 images of seals held at the National Archives are now available to search and download free of charge
- "The seals are taken from deeds accumulated by the Duchy of Lancaster and dating from the 12th to the 18th century. The vast majority are from the medieval period and are personal seals, though there are examples of monastic, ecclesiastical, official and local seals"
- View the seals at Documents Online: 12th to 18th century seals
Scott
of the Antarctic
- Captain Robert Scott and his companions reached the Antarctic 100 years ago, arriving at McMurdo Sound in Antarctica on 5 January 1911. They had departed from New Zealand on the Terra Nova in December 1910
- The Mary Evans Picture Library has recently added images of the preparations made for the expedition, that accompanied reports in "The Sphere" magazine of 1911. These are in addition to the images on the Antarctic expedition already in the Mary Evans Picture Library's Illustrated London News Archive collection
- January 2011 also saw the announcement that Captain Scott's Antarctic hut is to be preserved after a fund-raising appeal by United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) met its target. See details of the announcement and a recent image of the hut at a BBC news page and view more images of the hut at the UKAHT site
- Read all about the expedition at the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online (ODNB). At the ODNB, click the "Themes" tab at the top of the page, then click "List all themes", and scroll down to "British Antarctic expedition (act.1910 - 1913)". As well as the article about the expedition you will also see links to individual biographies of Captain Scott and his team members
- You can log in to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Digital Switchover
- A reminder that The Switchover Help Scheme could help you make the switch to digital TV if you:
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- are aged 75 or over; or - get or could get Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance or mobility supplement; or - have lived in a care home for six months or more; or - are registered blind or partially sighted |
- Visit the Switchover Help Scheme for more details
British
vessels lost at sea 1914 - 1918
- You can read an "enlarged and corrected version" of the original HMSO publication "British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-1918", which gives summary details of lost ships, at Naval-History.Net
- The site also includes information on Navy casualties, war diaries, events, ships and campaigns
18th January 2011
Theory Test Pro - now available on the Virtual Library
- You can practise your driving theory test online by logging in to Theory Test Pro
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Theory Test Pro contains all the official test questions licensed from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the organisation that sets the tests. Theory Test Pro gives you:
- unlimited access to all the official questions from the DSA in the same format as the official test
- the online version of Highway Code
- realistic hazard perception video simulations
- test banks for car, motorcycle, passenger carry vehicle and heavy goods vehicle categories
- machine translation into over 40 different languages
- speech-enabled tests so you can listen to questions
- Log in to Theory Test Pro here
GoCitizen - now available on the Virtual Library
- If you need to prepare for the Life in the UK or British citizenship test you can prepare online by logging in to GoCitizen
- GoCitizen gives you an online version of the latest official study materials licensed from the Home Office, the organisation that produces the handbook
- It has hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test and additional interactive learning resources and teaching aids
- Log in to GoCitizen here
Stop loan sharks
- A ‘loan shark’ is anyone who is lending money without having a licence from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
- If you have been approached by a loan shark you can report them by phone on a 24 hour hotline 0300 555 2222, or by text/SMS or via email at the contact details given on the Stop Loan Sharks page of the Directgov web site
- The page also tells you how you can check if someone is licensed and it
also guides you to legal ways you can borrow money
'Word stories' in the Oxford English Dictionary Online OED)
- How has the meaning of the word 'digital' changed over the years? Or the word 'information'?
- In the new-look OED online, you can trace the shifting and expanding meanings of words from recent OED updates at 'Word stories'
'Shapers of English' in the Oxford English Dictionary Online OED)
- How is language influenced by movements, events, discoveries, professions, and people?
- 'Shapers of English' is a new section in the OED online, giving you articles on how language is influenced by movements, events, discoveries, professions, and people
- One of these articles looks at the influence on the English language of the King James Bible, whose 400th anniversary is this year
- To view the full OED online, log in with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
January
2011 update to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB)
- The January 2011 update of the Oxford DNB adds biographies of 216 men and women who died in 2007
- The names include people from entertainment, sport, journalism and broadcasting, creative arts, politics and more
- You can read a selection of these biographies, view the full list of names and read the Editor's introduction to the update, at the ODNB public pages without logging in
- To view the full ODNB, log in with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
5th
December 2010
New-look Oxford English Dictionary online, now including the 'Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary'
- The Oxford English Dictionary online has been re-launched with a new design, several articles on language and other new features
- In particular, it now incorporates the 'Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary', a major new work which was published in book form in 2009
- The 'Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary' shows meanings in chronological order, noting when terms first appeared and often when they disappeared
- You can use the thesaurus to see which word was used to express a particular meaning in a particular historical period
- To understand more about this fascinating work, take a look at a review of the printed version, from the Guardian newspaper
- When you have logged in to the Oxford English Dictionary online, read more details of the re-launched site at the Editor's Welcome page
- You can log in to the OED online with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
New pension and benefit rates for 2011-2012
- You can download the new benefit and pension rates for 2011-2012 at the Direct Gov news page
John Lennon - died 30 years ago this month
- Read John Lennon's biography in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) online.
- Log in to the ODNB with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Profiles of dentists' practices now on NHS Choices
- Profiles of dental practices are now available on NHS Choices , along with the comprehensive profiles for every GP practice and hospital in England already available on the site
- Go to NHS Choices and search for dentists at the 'Find and choose services' section
British
Council archive films now online
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British Council Films about Britain from the early 1930's to about twenty years later are being digitised and made available free to view online, by TIME/IMAGE
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The British Council commissioned and distributed documentaries, "designed to showcase Britain to the outside world at a time when fascism was becoming evermore prevalent across Europe. Made by some of the finest filmmakers of the time - such as cinematographer Jack Cardiff (of Powell and Pressburger fame) and director Ken Annakin (Battle of the Bulge) - these films are today held in the BFI archives, almost entirely unused".
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You can view the first set of films available now at the TIME/IMAGE web site
National Archives podcasts
- The National Archives podcasts form a continually growing collection of discussions of historical topics
- Recent additions include one on the London Gazette, discussing "how researchers can get the most out of the London Gazette, Britain's oldest continually-published newspaper, first produced in November 1665 while London suffered through the plague"
- Another is 'Freedom fighters: sources for black loyalists at The National Archives', about the African American contribution to the American revolution, using documents and concrete examples found in The National Archives
'Coronation Street
is 50', at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online
- To mark the 50th anniversary of the first episode of 'Coronation Street', the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) online has compiled a page on several actors who played key characters in the programme
- You can view the actors' biographies at the site's 'open shelves', available without logging in, at the page 'Coronation Street is 50'
- To view all the biographies in the ODNB online, log in with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Oxford
Art Online update
- Oxford Art Online What's New gives you the latest update for Oxford Art Online
- Recent additions include a wide variety of new and revised essays and biographies, including "the propensity of artists working in the late 20th and early 21st centuries to incorporate aspects of science in their work"
- You can also view new articles from the forthcoming 'Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art
- You can log in to Oxford Art Online with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Neighbourhood
Statistics Business Topic Profile
- Neighbourhood Statistics has produced a new Business Topic Profile, which "explores the structure, longevity and output of business at regional and national level in the United Kingdom"
- Download the profile at the Topic Profiles - Business page
- At that same page you can also search by postcode to view summary profiles, including business, for local areas
8th November 2010
Win
a £25 Amazon voucher!
- Win a £25 Amazon voucher with the Credo Reference Quiz
- Credo Reference is a huge collection of online reference books on many subjects, available free to you on the Virtual Library
28th October 2010
In the news
- Spending Review 2010 - details from HM Treasury and analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies
- Financial advice is at Moneymadeclear
Digital Switchover
- The Switchover Help Scheme could help you make the switch to digital TV if you:
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- are aged 75 or over; or - get or could get Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance or mobility supplement; or - have lived in a care home for six months or more; or - are registered blind or partially sighted |
- Visit the Switchover Help Scheme for more details
Jane Austen manuscripts
- A new web site Jane Austen's Fiction Manuscripts gathers together online over a thousand pages of fiction written in Jane Austen’s own hand
- You can now read online high quality images of original manuscripts which
are scattered around the world in libraries and private collections
12th October
Get Online Week 18th -24th October 2010
- Get Online Week is a good time to improve your Internet skills or to help someone else get online
New
on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Bedfordshire page
- Take a look at a new page Bedfordshire in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, showing you a selection of people with Bedford connections. You can view the new page without logging in
Focus on Black Britons
- The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) has a special section to mark Black History Month, a selection of black Britons from the ODNB who have shaped three centuries of national life
- A further selection of biographies of notable black Britons 1700 - 2000 is available at the ODNB September 2010 Update
Further new topics
- The ODNB September 2010 Update also includes 'British policing, home and overseas', 'Early modern art, peace in wartime', 'The Chatterley trial, 50 years on' and more
- You can view the selections and the update without logging in, but to view the whole ODNB, log in with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Equality Act
- The new Equality Act came into force on 1 October 2010. It brings together into one single Act over 116 separate pieces of legislation. Among the many pieces of legislation it replaces are the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Find out more at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Government Equalities Office and the Citizens Advice Bureau's Adviceguide pages on the Equality Act 2010
Credo Reference videos
- Credo Reference gives you hundreds of reference books free online, which are easy to search and browse
- To improve your searching and to discover some of Credo Reference's special features, you can view a set of Credo Reference short training videos
- Log in with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Oxford Music Online
- Recently added topical articles include Afro-Caribbean Music and Portuguese-American Music
- Log in with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
23rd September 2010
Battle of Britain reports in the Times Digital Archive
- The Battle of Britain took place 70 years ago, from July to September 1940
- You can see contemporary newspaper reports from the time at the Times Digital Archive. View news, photographs, comment.
- If you are a full library member, go to Online newspapers, log in with your library card and PIN and follow the links to the Times Digital Archive
- If you are not a full library member, check here how you can become one
Times
Digital Archive Guided Tour
- A new 'Guided Tour' for the Times Digital Archive (TDA) is now available
- Take the tour to discover how make the most of TDA's range of features and to improve your searching
- Go to Gale Cengage Learning, select ‘Product Training’ from the menu along the top of the screen, then click TDA
6th September 2010
Hendrix in Britain; Hendrix in Bedfordshire
- Hendrix in Britain - the Hendrix in Britain Exhibition in London marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix on 18th September 1970
- The exhibition opened at Handel House Museum, 25 Brook Street on 25th August 2010 and runs until 7th November 2010. Jimi Hendrix came to Britain in September 1966. In 1968 he moved into the top flat of 23 Brook Street, the building next door to the Handel House Museum, and he made his home there for a while
- Hendrix in Bedfordshire - Jimi Hendrix played concerts in Bedfordshire three times, the first time at the Granada Cinema in Bedford on 11th April 1967, the second time at the California Ballroom in Dunstable on 28th October 1967 and the third time at the second Woburn Rock Festival on 6th - 7th July 1968. Find out more at California Ballroom and Woburn Abbey in the Local and Family History section
British Library UK Sound Map
- The British Library is producing UK SoundMap, to which all are invited to contribute
- UK SoundMap is a nationwide sound map, which will be a permanent public record of everyday sounds
- See UK SoundMap to find out how you can record the sounds of your environment and add them to the map
Credo Reference
- new books online
- Many new books have recently been added to the Credo Reference collection of online books
- Do you have a library number and PIN? You can log in to Credo Reference now. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
| New online books added to Credo reference |
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A
Financial History of Modern U.S. Corporate Scandals from Enron to Reform
Learning
in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide14th August 2010
New Careers Service for Adults
- Next Step is a new careers service for adults
- It is a service for all adults in England, aged 19 and over, whatever your current skills, qualifications or employment status. You can search courses, view job profiles, get CV tips, plus much more
- Next Step offers careers and skills advice to fit your individual needs. You can find help at Next Step online or by calling 0800 100 900 to speak to an adviser on the phone, or to make a face-to-face appointment in your area
9th August 2010
The Normans
- The Normans is a new set of pages added to the Virtual Library
- At The Normans you can discover a wealth of good web sites about the Normans and their world
-
You
will find overviews of the Norman Conquest and life in Norman England along with more detailed sites on
the Domesday Book, the Bayeux Tapestry, language, coins, art and architecture and
more.... - These new pages on The Normans complement the BBC's 2010 Norman Season of television and radio programmes
New national legislation web site
-
A new free website called
Legislation.gov.uk gives clearer, faster and easier access to legislation,
from Magna Carta to the latest statutory instruments - It is advisable to read the FAQs on the web site to be clear about the extent of the content and about how up-to-date are any amendments
- Legislation.gov.uk is produced by the National Archive and replaces The Office of Public Sector Information and Statute Law Database websites
26th July 2010
NHS White Paper
- The White Paper on changing the NHS may be downloaded at the Department of Health web site
BBC Archive programmes
- Birth of the National Health Service is a collection of programmes and documents on the BBC Archive site
- The first item in the collection is the announcement by Sir William Beveridge outlining his proposals for a new welfare state, which was first broadcast in 1942
- Scroll down the collection's first page to see more links to early programmes on the NHS
Holiday
safety tips video
- Watch a short video in which a lifeguard offers his top tips for keeping you and your family safe on holiday at the beach
- This is on the NHS Choices web site
1st July 2010
- There has been a change in the Online Resources. The InfoTrac newspapers and magazines and Gale Virtual Reference Library have been replaced by NewsUK Newspapers and Magazines
- The NewsUK service offers a comprehensive list of national newspapers, a wide range of local newspapers from across the UK and over forty popular magazines
- The newspapers include the local titles 'Herald & Post/Luton News', 'Times & Citizen, Bedfordshire' and 'Milton Keynes Citizen'
- NewsUK also has a big section called News Topics, giving you information on major contemporary issues. News Topics include recent headlines and background reading articles, images and useful web sites
- Find out more and log in at Newspapers Online or Magazines Online or News Topics
29th June 2010
London Lives
- London Lives is a major new free resource for studying the social history of London
- It is a fully searchable edition of 240,000 manuscripts published between 1690 and 1800, from eight archives and fifteen datasets, giving access to 3.35 million names
- Workhouse records, criminal registers, coroners' reports and court orders give a picture of those at 'the bottom of society' about whom it can otherwise be difficult to find information
- See a descriptive article on the Guardian web site
Photographic Youth Music Archive
- Relive your youth through the Photographic Youth Music Archive of images from decades of popular youth music culture
- Limited access free without registration; search access for thumbnail images free if a request for guest registration is approved (full access to larger images and to research articles available only on subscription)
- The Guardian web site has an article giving background information and a gallery of images
Free publications from the EU Bookshop
- 110 000 publications free to download at the EU Bookshop
- They are publications produced by European Union institutions, agencies and other bodies from 1952 to the present day
- You may also order a single copy of any free-of-charge publication, if it is in stock
9th June 2010
Ten top tips to survive the recession
- Ten top tips to survive the recession (in England) tips from Citizens Advice on the Adviceguide web site
FirstStop - Advice for older people
- FirstStop Advice is a new, free and independent information and advice service provided by Elderly Accommodation Counsel in partnership with the charities 'Counsel and Care' and 'Help the Aged' and the specialist financial advice provider 'NHFA Limited'. It can provide "specialist help on any aspect of care, support or housing for elderly people, including financial issues as well as your rights and entitlements."
Coins Database - Public Spending
-
The Government has released the full contents of the Treasury spending database, COINS (Combined Online Information System)
-
This vast 120 GB database contains millions of items of data and developers are busy trying to make simple ways of searching it
- The Guardian newspaper has developed a tool to enable you to explore the database. Read about the database and click the links for the Guardian's tool and accompanying glossary
New books in Credo Reference
- Click to see a list of titles recently added to Credo Reference
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online update
- Click to see what's new on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online
Copyright quiz
- Try a quick quiz to check what you know about copyright!
19th April 2010
Science
- Win a tour of Millbrook Proving Ground - complete a simple science quiz and enter a competition to win a behind-the-scenes visit!
- BBC's 'Bang goes the theory' - web site and TV programme that look at 'how science shapes the world around us, in an engaging and relevant way. It's about making science fascinating - and fun'. The 'Hands on' section of the site suggests simple experiments for you to try at home!
- Looking for authoritative background information about volcanoes? Log in to Online Resources and search for volcanoes in Credo Reference or Oxford Reference Online or Encyclopedia Britannica Online
- Looking back at recent news about volcanoes? Log in to
Newspapers Online
and search NewsUK, a new resource on the Virtual Library (see below)
NewsUK - new online resource
- NewsUK is a great new addition to the Virtual Library's Online Resources
- You can search and browse articles past and present from a long list of national and regional newspapers and from over forty popular magazines
- The newspapers include the local titles 'Herald & Post/Luton News', 'Times & Citizen, Bedfordshire' and 'Milton Keynes Citizen'
- NewsUK also has a big section called News Topics, giving you information on major contemporary issues. News Topics include recent headlines and background reading articles, images and useful web sites
- Find out more and log in at Newspapers Online or Magazines Online or News Topics
New leaflet 'Blow the whistle on gay hate'
- New pocket guide 'Blow the whistle on gay hate', by Stonewall explains in plain English the laws that protect gay people
- Download it or order a free copy from the Publications page on Stonewall's web site. To download, scroll down to the 'Hate Crime' section
22nd March 2010
Science Selection
- Explore the world of science in easy steps with a new set of pages called Science Selection
- Science Selection gives fascinating science highlights from the web for everyone
- The selection includes simple guides to science topics, downloadable booklets, videos, podcasts, and more
11th February 2010
No Smoking Day 10th March 2010
- Coming up next month is No Smoking Day, on 10th March
- Read all about the No Smoking Day campaign at the No Smoking Day web site
- At the web site's dowloadable resources section, you can download useful leaflets and information sheets in English and in other languages, posters, images and other materials
- You can also find there downloadable puzzles and quizzes
- As shown on the campaign's image opposite, there is a free NHS helpline at 0800 169 0 169
- There are more sources of help, including help available in other languages, at the site's helplines and email services page
A smokefree future
- A new strategy to halve the number of smokers, from 21 to 10 per cent of the population, by 2020 was announced by the Secretary of State for Health recently
- This new strategy for England "establishes a vision of eradicating tobacco harms and creating a smokefree future, so that we can support people to live healthier and longer lives"
- A wider range of NHS help and support will be available to help people who wish to stop smoking
- The Department of Health news release says that since the 1998 strategy, ‘Smoking Kills’, more than two million people have given up smoking with help from the NHS and that research shows that seven out of ten smokers want to give up. This strategy will "ensure every smoker, no matter what level their addiction is or however many times they’ve tried to stop before, will be able to get help from the NHS if they want to give up"
- View the Smokefree Future news release
- Go to
A smokefree future: a comprehensive tobacco control strategy for England
for a link to download the full strategy
New additions to Credo Reference
National Gallery images
-
Credo Reference now includes a collection of over 2,200 high definition
images from the National Gallery - Each entry includes a description of the work along with its artist, medium, dimensions, acquisition credit and date made
- You can browse the National Gallery collection at Credo Reference by clicking the 'Find a book', then, in the 'Art' section of the list, click 'National Gallery collection'
- Do you have a library number and PIN? You can log in to Credo Reference now. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
New books in Credo Reference
- Click to see a list of titles recently added to Credo Reference
- One of the highlights is the 'Encyclopedia of Women's Autobiography', published by ABC-CLIO
- This encyclopedia, written by more than 130 expert contributors, overviews women autobiographers and autobiography from the Middle Ages to the present. Entries discuss individual writers, major works, national and ethnic autobiographical traditions, particular autobiographical genres and special terms, issues and themes related to women's autobiography from around the world. Multicultural in scope and the first work of its kind, this encyclopedia overviews more than 400 years of autobiographical writing by women
Oxford University Press online resources updates
- For recent additions to the Oxford University Press online information resources click each link below:
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Oxford Dictionary of National Biography News |
- You can log in to all these resources and more with your library number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
22nd January 2010
Van Gogh letters
- The complete letters of Vincent Van Gogh have been put online at Vincent Van Gogh - The Letters
- This major new site gives you translations; transcriptions; notes; and facsimiles of the original letters complete with the many sketches that Van Gogh included in them
BBC A history of the world in 100 objects
- The BBC has a new project in partnership with the British Museum exploring the history of the world through 100 objects selected from the museum's collections
- The core of the project is a series of 100 programmes, 'A history of the world in 100 objects', on BBC Radio 4
- At the web site A History of the World in 100 objects you can zoom in on the objects to see them in detail. You can also watch short videos of many of the objects and download podcasts of each programme as it is broadcast
Aerial photographs from wartime reconnaissance
- You can now view online images from the The National Collection of Aerial Photography
- The National Collection contains 'The Aerial Reconnaissance Archives (TARA)', millions of military reconnaissance images of locations throughout the world declassified by the UK Ministry of Defence, from imagery of the DDAY landings to the 1956 Suez Crisis.
- The National Collection also contains the largest and most significant collection of historic and contemporary aerial imagery of Scotland
Cecil Sharp's Diaries online
- The diaries of the folk music and dance collector Cecil Sharp are available to view online at the Exhibitions section of the English Folk Dance and Song Society web site
Data.gov.uk
- The Government is opening up government-held, non-personal data for re-use
- Find out more, and view some new applications that have already been produced with the data, at Data.gov.uk
London's Datastore
- A similar open data site is available for data held by the Greater London Authority
- See London's Datastore for details
Electoral registers consultation
- The Ministry of Justice is consulting on Electoral registers - proposed changes to the Edited Register
'What's new' from previous years
Latest 'What's new'
- For the latest news, see What's new
