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Are you Prepared for Retirement?
You might be thinking that you are barely getting by paying your monthly bills and have no way to save for retirement. The fact is that you cannot put off preparing for retirement any longer, the more time you have to put money aside, the more comfortable you will be in your retirement. If you have no idea how to get started in preparing for retirement, good news, Financial Planning Association Pro Bono is visiting the King Library on Wednesday, February 29 @ 6:30pm to help you.
Sarah Winchester and her Mystery House
Local legend tells us that Sarah Winchester was a woman obessed. Was she consumed with the need to do what the spirits told her, or was she just misunderstood? Here are some books that you can read to make up your own mind about what you think Sarah Winchester and her Mystery House was all about...
"The Inscrutable Mrs. Winchester and Her Mysterious Mansion" attempts to dispell some of the myths surrounding her and gives insight on the facts that rarely come to light.
"Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester heiress to the rifle fortune" gives an overview of of Sarah Winchester's life and attempts to demystify her as the notorious eccentric history has made her out to be.
Was she really trying to stave off the ghosts? Did she really believe that non-stop construction would confuse the spirits? Or is it possible that Sarah Winchester was really a loving, caring woman who mourned the loss of her husband and infant daughter, and just wanted to be left alone? Maybe we'll never know, but the great thing about this mystery is you get to decide!
For more information about local history, you can also visit our California Room and it's Digital Collections.
California Room Open House
Many of us come to the library to borrow the latest movie or newest bestseller, but did you know we also have items that are over 100 years old? The California Room is the home to three sculptures by 19th century African-American and Chippewa-Indian artist, Edmonia Lewis. To learn more about these sculptures, come to the California Room’s spring open house where local expert Mary Parks Washington will discuss the artist and her work.
Along with the sculpture presentation, we’ll be featuring some of our unique local history collections including: Frontier Village photos and memorabilia, items from the 1906 earthquake, local yearbooks dating back to the early 20th century and many other items you can’t find anywhere else! The open house will be this Wednesday, February 15th from 6-7:30pm.
If you are unable to make it to our open house, feel free to stop by during our open hours OR check out the many items available to you 24/7 in our digital collection.
If Its On The Internet, It Must Be True...Right?
Wrong!
A few years ago, a co-worker of mine gave me a t-shirt with that famous cartoon by Peter Steiner published in the New Yorker - "On The Internet, Nobody Knows You're a Dog." It really is hard to tell what's real and what's not online, but there are some ways to stay grounded.
In thinking about the various mis-information that has come my way via emails, facebook posts and forwarded newspaper stories, they usually sort out into three categories.
Scams. These are the worst - and potentially the most harmful to you. Those emails from Nigerian Princes who just need a bank transfer in order to claim their throne and their vast fortune which they'll share with you are a classic example of an online phishing scam. That one is easy to spot, but the ones that supposedly are coming from the IRS or your bank are a little harder to point out. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Nobody gives out free iPads and don't send your passwords to anyone!
Parody. If you see a ridiculous news story - odds are good it came from The Onion. They do such a good job of writing hilarious parody stories. Sometimes a friend or relative might even fall for it and think it's real. If you haven't checked out The Onion, be warned, their stories spare no-one and you might be offended once you stop laughing.
Urban Legends. I see stuff on Facebook all the time that falls into this category. The most recent has to do with the new Timeline feature and changing subscription settings to keep strangers from reading what you and your friend are posting on Facebook. Others range from such innocuous topics as the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe to the more insidious like terrorists poisoning cans of soda or a celebrity that died in a snowboarding accident.
It's all fiction and don't you fall for it!
What can you do to figure out if the information you've found online is for real? Snopes.com is my favorite debunking source. This simple site is constantly updated with the latest wrong information and gives you the straight scoop on what is really going on.
And don't feel bad
if you have fallen for a tall tale on the Internet. This kind of stuff has been going on since man started talking! If you are interested in reading some Urban Legends, here is a good book to get you started...
Encyclopedia of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand Brunvand has been writing about Urban Legends for decades. This book is a compilation of legends that have been collected over time. Its over 500 pages of paranoia inducing stories in all their variations.
Search Human Genome and Health Online
It’s always in the news that some specific genes are identified for the first time for specified disorders like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
I feel compelled to learn more about the genes and our health. I don’t remember the scientific names in the news and I don’t have a background in biology or health sciences. I did read a book, The Language of Life by Francis S Collins. Apparently there are numerous organizations, government agencies, universities,and commercial enterprises engaged in genomic research. Then I remembered a search engine expert told us that, instead of trying to remember individual URLs, just search for the resources we desire by keywords and the various organizations’ official websites will appear. So I googled the keywords “human genome” and “Human Genome Project” respectively.
The two result lists of “human genome” and “Human Genome Project” overlap, but they all include, at the top of the lists, informative and authoritative homepage, such as Human Genome Project Information; Genome Programs of the U.S. Department of Energy; Human Genome Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, etc. I was also pleasantly surprised by the entries of UCSC Genome Browser and its FAQ page. For educators, there are Human Genome Project Education Resources on Dept of Energy’s Information page and the Education page with contents on genetics and genomics from NIH. National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to begin with. In addition, the result lists provide links to related searches, e.g., human genome definition and human genome map which are important for the subject matter at hand.
Then, the millions of search results may be customized by Google Search options and tools. When my search is filtered by the option of “News” in “Past Month,” there is the entry of The $1000 Human Genome: Are We There Yet? from Scientific American, with links to hundreds of more reports on the same topic. This piece of good news - the price dropped in 10 years from $10,000 to $1,000 per sequencing - is a milestone in the proress of genomic research.
This is where I will take a break until next time when I shall customize my search to “Videos” which would be something to watch for.
Image Courtesy: National Human Genome Research Institute.
Homelessness - A Panel Discussion
You are Invited:
A Homeless Forum
(In Memory of Anne Bergo)
Tuesday, March 6th, 4-6 p.m. King Library, 2nd Floor, Suites A&B
(Sponsored by The San José Public Library, Social Workers in the Library, San José State University School of Social Work & The National Association of Social Workers - CA Chapter, in celebration of National Social Work Month.)
Homelessness: Statistics, Resources & Information
Statistics on Homelessness in San José:
- Population:
Homeless population in San José: 8,941 persons (approximately 1% of the city’s population )
Population of the City of San José: 948,244 people (the tenth largest city in the nation)
Source: http://www.sjhousing.org/homeless/ending.html and http://www.sjhousing.org/homeless/SJ_2011.pdf
- Causes of Homelessness:
Financial instability and housing costs
Cost of Living in San José: Among the highest in California (and the nation )
(2012 rates for a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Clara County: $1,350. Fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment: $1,623 and $2,334 for a three-bedroom apartment. A person working full-time at the California minimum wage earning $8.00 per hour ($1,280 per month) could not afford a two-bedroom market-rate apartment in San José on their own.
Source: http://www.sjhousing.org/homeless/ending.html
- Contributing factors:
Unemployment, underemployment or loss of a job, flight from domestic violence, or illness
Source: http://www.ehclifebuilders.org/whatwedo/homelessness.php
- Who are the homeless:
Individuals, families, and children
Included: those with drug and alcohol dependencies, the disabled, and the mentally ill (but not all people experiencing homelessness live with these conditions)
Those who hold jobs, and those who are unemployed ( 16% work at least part-time)
25% are under age 18
41% are families
Source: http://www.ehclifebuilders.org/whatwedo/homelessness.php
Resources:
- Housing
City of San Jose, Department of Housing
http://www.sjhousing.org/homeless/resource.html
Foreclosure Help Center:
http://www.foreclosurehelpscc.org/
Homeless Resource Guide (City of San José/ Housing Department):
http://www.sjhousing.org/Public/Homeless_Guide.pdf (English) and http://www.sjhousing.org/public/Homeless_Guide_S.pdf (Spanish)
(Includes resources for Domestic violence, Employment, Food, Rental assistance, Shelter, Veterans.)
Housing – Santa Clara County
Good information on finding Senior Housing
Section 8 Housing Application
http://housing-voucher.com/index3?split_id=94
Shelter Bed Hotline – 24 hours
Information on shelters throughout the San Francisco Bay Area
1-800-7Shelter, or (1-800-774-3583)
- Information and Referral
2-1-1
2-1-1 (phone number) or http://www.211.org/
Free, 24/7, 140 languages available (call-in or online information)
(Help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more)
Finding Help Throughout the County:
www.helpscc.org (Region, City and Category search)
(Includes Santa Clara and Santa Cruz countywide resources for: Children and Families, Food, Health, Housing, Income and Rental Assistance and Seniors)
Homeless Resource Guide(City of San José/ Housing Department):
http://www.sjhousing.org/Public/Homeless_Guide.pdf (English)
http://www.sjhousing.org/public/Homeless_Guide_S.pdf (Spanish)
(Includes resources for Domestic violence, Employment, Food, Rental assistance, Shelter, Veterans.)
Social Workers in the Library
Free, 20 minute information and referral/advice sessions at both King
(bi-monthly) and Bibliotecca Branch Library (monthly)
http://www.sjpl.org/blog/social-workers-library-0
- Legal Advice
Lawyers in the Library
Free 20-minute legal consultation with an attorney provided by the pro Bono Project of Silicon Valley
http://www.sjpl.org/event/lawyers-library (other options for legal assistance included on web site)
- Medical care
Dentistry (Compiled by Stanford Pacific Free Clinic)
http://pacific.stanford.eduSanta%20Clara%20County%20Dental%20Providers-1.pdf
Stanford Pacific Free Clinic
1-650-721-2786
1835 Cunningham Ave., San Jose, CA 95122
Saturdays only
(Health assessments, referrals for low cost medications, laboratory
testing & vaccines)
Valley Homeless Healthcare Clinic (stationary and mobile clinics throughout San José, dentistry included)
Further Information on Homelessness and Santa Clara County:
City of San José ‘s Homeless Strategy
http://www.sjhousing.org/report/edec/Ecdc/8-25-03/Homeless.pdf (August, 2003)
Santa Clara County’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
http://collabscc.org/Keys_to_Housing_10_Year_Plan.pdf (2005)
Santa Clara County Homeless Census and Survey
http://www.sjhousing.org/homeless/SCLR_2011.pdf (2011)
Destination Home
http://www.sjhousing.org/depart/HCDC/08.11.11_Item_H.pdf (Aug. 2011)
Homeless for the Holidays in the Santa Clara Valley, Part I of a Series on the Homeless (Santa Clara Weekly)
http://www.santaclaraweekly.com/2011/Issue-48/homeless_for_the_holidays_in__the_santa_clara_valley.html (Nov. 2011)
Materials on Homelessness Available at the San José Public Library and SJSU:
General - Fiction, Nonfiction on Homelessness:
http://catalog.sjlibrary.org/search~/a?searchtype=X& searcharg=Homeless&SORT=D&searchscope=1
Biographies:
Children's Collection - On Homelessness:
Fiction:
http://catalog.sjlibrary.org/search~S1/X?SEARCH=%28homeless%20and%20fiction%29&SORT=D
Define and Discover on the Web
How do you look up a word if you don’t know how it’s spelled? That used to be a pesky question, but no more now with the advent of spell-checker and auto-suggestions at search boxes with search engines. As a matter of fact, Google Search provides a special operator “Define:” to perform what dictionaries or thesauri can do, and some more. If you want to see a list of definitions from various online sources, you may input “define:” followed by a word or phrase. The results in a list such generated are generally relevant, comprehensive, and up to date.
With the ease of using the “Define:” feature, not only is the wealth of etymology and usage of certain words accessible to us, but also open to us are the doors to other relevant resources. For example, I have demonstrated "Define:" to a few library users in diciphering words (knowing not necessarily the spellings) such as “a capella”; dearth; polymath; and recidivism. The few users were all pleased with the search technique as well as the quality of the results.
For myself this time, I googled “Define:Virtual” and got a list of about 4,570,000,000 results. Displayed at the top of the page are Pronunciation (phonetics & audio,) Definitions, Synonyms, and links to More info »Wikipedia - Dictionary.com - Answers.com - Merriam-Webster, followed by relevant web resources, such as Second Life, Wikipedia article, etc.
To hone in on a few projects of interest to me, I experimented with the search results Options and Tools (e. g., Images, News, Blogs, Related Searches, and Time) shown on the left-hand navigation panel. With the aid of these filters, I should be able to explore further and discover plenty of expert resources beyond what I realized so far.
For the time being, I am satisfied with the information provided by the sites ranked high on this list of results. I would share with you a particular passage from the “Usage Note” on the above mentioned Answers.com: “The adjectives virtual and digital and the prefixes e- and cyber- are all used in various ways to denote things, activities, and organizations that are realized or carried out chiefly in an electronic medium. There is considerable overlap in the use of these items: people may speak either of virtual communities or of cybercommunities and of e-cash or cybercash.”
For levitation, please look on the same page for a cartoon, “Virtual Ice Fishing.” Funny!
Image Courtesy: U. S. Department of Energy.
Useful Information for Job Searchers
Are you searching for a job? Here are some helpful web pages. 
Resources for Job Seekers from the sjpl.org website
Teen College and Job Resources from the sjpl.org website
Work2Future a helpful local organization
Indeed a search tool
Interviewing from monster.com
Research and Homework from the sjpl.org website
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Speech at Civil Rights March on Washington, August 28, 1963
Even though decades have passed since his death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words and life continues to inspire and resonate with many of us today. His dream changed our nation and made it a place that embraces and celebrates diversity and equality more fully.
Learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s extraordinary life by checking out our collection of related books and media and articles.
Learn about Business Plans
Happy New Year! If one of your resolutions is to get started on that business plan, you're in luck. On Wednesday, Jan. 11 @ 6:30pm, an experienced speaker from SCORE will be at the Santa Teresa Library to talk about business plans. There will be time at the end of presentation for questions and networking. I hope you will join us for this informative talk.
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