September 2006 Sites

Well, after taking the summer off (did you all notice?), Monthly Cool Web Sites is back and ready to impress your socks off! (Including that clean right sock you need to wear for your health screening next month, so be prepared ... )

Okay, first of all, I do KNOW that the ballet resources in the reference collection are getting pretty dated. However, I haven't been able to find much to update our stuff. Many of you will know who our favorite ballet patron is, so this might be a good site to keep in mind for when she calls. The American Ballet Theater provides archives at their site where you can click on any of their ballets and find out who did the music, choreography, costumes, lighting, and who was in the premier. You can view their list by ballet, by choreographer, or by composer. The URL is http://www.abt.org/education/archive/index.html
Thanks to Kim for this one!

Churches United is a big group of local churches that are, as you might guess from the name, united "to provide for its members and the greater community." Pretty nearly all local churches seem to be involved, and this site has some useful information, including an alphabetical list of churches (who are members) and their pastors' names. For the list, visit: http://www.churchesunitedcr.org/Find%20a%20Church.htm. Back up to http://www.churchesunitedcr.org for the Main page and other options.

Since we no longer really have Pathfinders at our Web site, I thought you might like to know that Pathfinders are available through the State Library. Visit the Pathfinder Project for an extensive list of topical pathfinders. Most are available in both Word and PDF formats. People of all ages need to develop their own systems for navigating and managing the information-rich environment of today's world. Those who have the ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively achieve greater success. They enjoy increased access to basic services, job opportunities,
academic achievement, and a richer quality of life. Like good reading skills, information literacy is a natural fit--and a vital service--for libraries of all types. The State Library's Pathfinder Project is easy to find at: http://www.thepathfinderproject.org/

And now for your September bonus site: because I know you all missed the Cool Sites this summer, here is one more:
Calling all college students and other collaborative writers! Here's a must-visit site: Writely: The Web-Based Word Processor. Thanks to Margaret for recommending it to the Reference staff, but I'd like to share it with all of you. Here's what Margaret had to say: "I haven't used it myself yet, but it sounds so great I immediately notified my children--the college students will particularly find it useful. It seems to be a free, web-based word processing program with collaborative functions. It should be especially good for people who use various computers in different locations and who have a tendency to run their jump drives through the wash. You guys might like it, too, although I'm sure you never do that. :) "

Thanks all, and I hope you can find good uses for these!

Jo