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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
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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
12th November 2009
Places Database
- You can search the new Places Database from the Communities and Local Government Department to find a broad range of statistics and other data for locations in England at various geographic levels
- The searchable levels include local authorities, wards, town centres and cities, but not parishes (or towns that are parishes)
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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Continuum
Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: Locations
the Transatlantic World
A
Glossary of UK Government and Politics
Key Concepts in Political Communication
Oxford
Reference Online - new books
- New books have also been added to Oxford Reference Online
- Do you have a library number and PIN? You can log in to Oxford Reference Online now. 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 and revised online books
added to Oxford Reference Online - Premium Collection |
 New books
New editions
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More online information resources updates
- Several more online information resources have recently been updated too
- You can log in here, with your library number and PIN, to view all these resources. 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 updates
- New additions include 57 new articles and 99 images from the Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, 'the most current, comprehensive, and reliable information on this topic'
- Fashion content has been updated by the addition of over 160 new images and 100 new and revised articles, including 'Fashion: origins and development', 'Fashion and technology', Fashion: categories of design', 'Christian Dior' and 'Mary Quant'
- Log in here
Oxford Music online updates
- New additions include 10 new and 12 revised biographies of contemporary composers, representing a sampling of modern music coming out of Ireland, Estonia, Hungary, England, Albania, the Netherlands and elsewhere
- Another new addition is an 'Essential 20th-century reading list' outlining some of the most influential writings on contemporary music
- Log in here
Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) updates
- 'Scottish lives: Scotland and overseas' - more than 40 men and women remembered for their contribution to Scottish history or to Scotland’s influence overseas
- 'Britons in Latin America' - biographies of 30 men and women who shaped the history of Latin America between the early nineteenth and the late twentieth century
- You can find out more about these latest additions, without needing to log in, at the ODNB's News page, or you can log in here to view the whole ODNB online
1st October 2009
Carers Direct
- 'Carers Direct' is a new national helpline and online service offering better health and social care, employment, education and information for carers
- Details are at the Carers Direct web site
- For free, confidential information and advice to help you as a carer, you can contact 'Carers Direct' in any of the following ways:
| - phone the helpline on 0808 802 0202 |
| - email CarersDirect@nhschoices.nhs.uk |
| - use textphone on 0800 988 8657 |
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- write to Carers Direct, PO Box 4338, Manchester M61 0BY |
- The lines are open 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm at weekends. Calls from UK landlines and Vodaphone, T-Mobile and O2 mobile phone networks are free
Heritage Gateway
- You can now search and view many records about historic buildings. monuments and sites in Bedfordshire and in other areas in England, on a great new web site, the Heritage Gateway
- The web site lets you search across several different databases at once, including Bedfordshire's Historic Environment Record and the national Listed Buildings Online
- It is on the Gateway to the Internet at Archaeology > UK Archaeology and at Bedfordshire > Archaeology
'Polish Survival Guide - How to Live and Work in Great Britain'
- Polish survival guide - how to live and work in Great Britain' is available for free download from the Federation of Poles in Great Britain web site
- The text of the guide is in Polish but the list of chapter headings is shown in English
- The guide covers accommodation, transport and telecommunications, work, everyday law, finance, healthcare, social benefits, education and more
New
photograph of Mary Seacole
- You can see a newly-discovered photograph of pioneering Crimean War nurse Mary Seacole on the July newsletter page of the Mary Evans Picture Library. Photographs of Mary Seacole are very rare
- If you would like to buy or keep a copy of the image, see the Legal and Frequently Asked Questions sections of the Mary Evans Picture Library site
- You can read more about Mary Seacole at the
Mary Seacole web site from Thames
Valley University
More 19th century photographs
- A small but fascinating selection of large images of 19th century photographs is available on a Daily Mail page previewing a forthcoming British Library exhibition
New additions to the online Oxford English Dictionary
- You can see the latest batch of revised and new entries added to the online Oxford English Dictionary (OED) at the OED September 2009 quarterly update
- You can see the new words and revised entries without logging in to the complete OED online, but if you do log in at reference books online you will be able to look up what the words mean and search the whole dictionary
UK Climate Projections
- The UK climate projections (UKCP09) site "provides information on how the UK’s climate is likely to change in the 21st century, as it responds to rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere"
- For example, you can see key findings for the different administrative areas of the country, based on different possible levels of emissions
- For our area, click the East of England area and then look at the findings for each of three different 'emissions scenarios', ('low', 'medium' and 'high'), in each of three different future decades
EU Fundamental Rights and Justice Funding Guidance
- Non-profit organisations can find guidance on applying for European Union grants under its fundamental rights and justice programme at the Ministry of Justice web site's EU funding page
14th August 2009
Latest additions to Cobra, the Complete Business Reference Adviser
- Take a look at What's new in Cobra for a list of recent additions to this vast online business information service that you can use free at all Bedfordshire libraries
- Cobra includes advice sections on topics such as start up, employment, health and safety and more, plus resources such as business opportunity profiles, business information factsheets and UK market synopses. Click here to read more about Cobra
- If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click here to use Cobra
Electoral Boundary Reviews for Central Bedfordshire and Bedford
- The Boundary Committee for England (part of the Electoral Commission) has begun electoral reviews in Bedford and Central Bedfordshire
- "The objective of an electoral review is to ensure that, within each local authority area, the number of electors represented by each councillor is approximately the same. Electoral reviews can be necessary because of changes in the electorate within local authority areas."
- All representations on the present stage of the consultation are due by 14 September 2009
- For full details, see Boundary Reviews and follow the links, especially the links in the 'Electoral reviews begin' section.
Heritage Open Days 10 -13 September 2009
- 'Heritage Open Days' are a few days each year when anyone can have free access to fascinating properties that are usually closed to the public or that normally charge for admission
- These properties include castles, factories, town halls, tithe barns, parish churches, Buddhist temples and many more
- For details of the scheme and to discover all the properties you could visit, see Heritage Open Days 2090
4th August 2009
Swine flu
- For the latest official advice and information see the NHS Choices web site
Credo Reference
- New online books
- A new batch of books for you to search and view online has been added to Credo Reference
- For a list of all the books available, see Credo Reference
- 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
| Latest additions to Credo Reference |
 
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Updated editions in Credo Reference |
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More online information resources updates
- Several more online information resources have recently been updated
- 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
Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography updates
- Check out the latest additions to the online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) at the ODNB's News page
Oxford
Art Online updates
- Oxford Art Online has recently enhanced coverage of Classical art and materials and techniques in art. Oxford Art Online also now includes 'Fashion', in collaboration with New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. For details, see Oxford Art Online What's New
Oxford
Music Online updates
- The latest update of Oxford Music Online focuses on opera, with new and revised articles on both operas and opera singers. It has added nearly fifty new opera singer biographies and hundreds of updated and revised ones. For details, see Oxford Music Online What's New
Oxford
English Dictionary updates
- A batch of new words and revised entries has been added to the online Oxford English Dictionary. To see lists of the new additions, along with notes and commentaries on them, see Oxford English Dictionary News
More online information resources
- For details of all the online information resources available to you, see Information and reference online resources
30th June 2009
Cobra, the Complete Business Reference Adviser
- Many new titles, on business opportunities, market synopses and more, have been added to Cobra, the online business service you can use free in all Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough libraries
- See What's new in Cobra for a list of all the new additions
New search engine from Microsoft
- Microsoft has launched a new general search engine called Bing
Guardian Data Store
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The Guardian newspaper's new
Data Store gives you
compilations of the statistics behind the news - The Data Store covers swine flu, inequality in the UK, education, environment, crime and much more
BBC Archives
old radio and television programmes online
- Selected old BBC radio and television programmes are available for you to view online now at the BBC Archive
- These are just the initial results of a long term plan by the BBC to put most of its huge archives online
- The archives include television and radio programmes and also images and documents (eg correspondence, programme planning notes, scripts and contracts)
- Go to BBC Archive, click the 'Collections' tab, click a collection, scroll down and click on a tv or radio programme
- Some collections pages have tabs for documents and images too
- You can see what the archives building itself looks like on the Guardian newspaper web site
- If you would like to read more details about the BBC Archive's plans, you can read an article in the Guardian Media supplement
- The site is included in the Gateway to the Internet at Television and radio > History
Credo Reference
- New books
- Below is a list of some new books added to the Credo Reference collection of online reference 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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Oxford Reference Online - new books
- Below are new books recently added to Oxford Reference Online
- Do you have a library number and PIN? You can log in to Oxford Reference Online now. 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 and revised online books
added to Oxford Reference Online - Premium Collection |
New books
New editions
New and revised online-only editions
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2nd March 2009
Cobra, the Complete Business Reference Adviser
- Many new resources are added every month to Cobra, the vast online business information service that you can use free at all Bedfordshire libraries
- Take a look at What's new in Cobra for a full list of recent additions
- Cobra includes advice sections on topics such as start up, employment, health and safety and more, plus resources such as business opportunity profiles, business information factsheets and UK market synopses. Click here to read more about Cobra
- If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click here to use Cobra
New additions to Oxford Reference Online
- Below are new books recently added to Oxford Reference Online
- Do you have a library number and PIN? You can log in to Oxford Reference Online now. 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 online books added to Oxford Reference Online |
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Oxford Guide to Literary Britain This classic reference work is a
gazetteer of almost 2,000 villages, towns, cities, and landscapes in
Britain and Ireland, detailing their connections with the lives of famous writers |
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The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History The most comprehensive and
authoritative guide available to all things associated with the family and local
history of the British Isles |
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The New Encyclopedia of Insects and their Allies The authoritative overview of arthropods, including hundreds of colour illustrations and photographs |
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Dictionary of Education Comprehensive coverage of all sectors of UK education |
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The Oxford Companion to Global Change An up-to-date interdisciplinary guide to the range of issues surrounding natural and human-induced changes in the Earth's environment |
New online books at Credo Reference
- A large batch of new online reference books has recently been added to Credo Reference
- 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
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New online books added to Credo
Reference |
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Business |
| A Biographical Dictionary of Dissenting Economists |
| Elgar Companion to Feminist Economics |
| An Encyclopedia of Keynesian Economics |
| An Encyclopedia of Macroeconomics |
| The Nobel Memorial Laureates in Economics |
| Who's Who In Economics |
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History |
| Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture |
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Religion |
| The New Encyclopedia of Judaism |
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Science |
| Animals and Science: A Guide to the Debates |
| Consciousness: A Guide to the Debates |
| The Evolution Wars: A Guide to the Debates |
| The Great Dinosaur Controversy: A Guide to the Debates |
| Homosexuality and Science: A Guide to the Debates |
| Human Evolution: A Guide to the Debates |
| Women's History as Scientists: A Guide to the Debates |
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Social Sciences |
| Africa and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History |
| Britain and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History |
| Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict |
| France and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History |
| Germany and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History |
| Handbook of Global Environmental Politics |
| Iberia and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History |
| Ireland and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History |
| Philosophy of Education: An Encyclopedia |
| Pop Culture Arab World! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle |
| Pop Culture China! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle |
| Pop Culture Germany! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle |
| Pop Culture India! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle |
| Pop Culture Latin America! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle |
| Pop Culture Russia! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle |
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford DNB)
- The Oxford DNB’s January 2009 update adds entries on 215 men and women who died in 2005
- New biographies include the prime ministers Edward Heath and James Callaghan; the Labour politicians Robin Cook and Mo Mowlam; comedy performers Ronnie Barker and Dave Allen; medical pioneers Richard Doll and Cicely Saunders; authors John Fowles and Humphrey Carpenter; business people John DeLorean and Janet Reger, and the footballer George Best
- Without logging in, you can read highlights from the update, along with a full list of new biographies and themes and an introduction by the Dictionary’s editor, Lawrence Goldman. The Mo Mowlam entry is also available as one of the Oxford DNB’s biography podcasts.
- If you log in to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography with your library membership number and PIN you can read the complete Oxford DNB free online. If you don't have a library card, you can join the library now. If you don't have a PIN, you can request a PIN now
9th January 2009
Votes
for women
- Last month marked the 90th anniversary of the December 1918 general election, the first British general election in which women were able to stand as candidates and to vote - although this applied only to women aged 30 or over who met certain property requirements. The vote was extended to all women (aged 21 or over) in 1928
- You can read a special online feature Votes for Women from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) online
- Votes for Women highlights women who sought the vote, those who were elected as MPs after 1918 and those who became pioneers in their chosen profession - including details of the first women to be appointed to public office, to become a barrister and to hold a passport in her maiden name
- The feature also includes many photographs of women of the time
- You can view Votes for Women in the 'Free Oxford DNB' section that you can view without logging in to the full ODNB
- To view the full ODNB, log in to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography with your library membership number and PIN. If you don't have a library card, you can join the library now. If you don't have a PIN, you can request a PIN now
New online books at Credo Reference
- 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 | In section |
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A biographical dictionary of women economists "This major original reference work includes specially commissioned articles on the lives and writings of women who made significant contributions to economics, from Edith Abbott to Irini Zafiriou It sheds
new light on the rich, but too often neglected, heritage of women's analysis
of economic issues and participation in the discipline of economics" |
Biographies
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The Cambridge encyclopedia of hunters and gatherers Until 12,000 years ago, all humans lived as hunters and gatherers. Dozens of hunting and gathering societies have persisted and still thrive worldwide The encyclopaedia contains case studies of over fifty hunting and gathering peoples plus thematic essays on prehistory, social life, gender, music and art, health, religion, and indigenous knowledge It also surveys the complex histories of hunter-gatherers' encounters with colonialism and the state and their ongoing struggles for dignity and human rights as part of the worldwide movement of indigenous peoples Some examples of the interesting entries are:
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Social Sciences |
'What's new' from previous years
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Latest 'What's new'
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