Gift Ideas: Best Products of the Year (Consumer Reports)

Don't know what to buy,  check out "Best products of the year: 475+ top picks and great buys" Consumer Reports magazine: November 2012

 This ultimate buyer's guide includes the best electronics, appliances, and other products among the thousands our secret shoppers bought throughout the year and that our testers rigorously tested.

All of the products listed are recommended, which means that they performed well in Consumer Reports' labs, and where they’re able to assess a brand’s reliability, they believe the brand to be reliable. Many choices are included in each category, so you’re bound to find at least a few that meet your needs.

In the middle part of each page in the PDF, they highlight CR Best Buys across a range of prices. CR Best Buys perform well in our tests and are of exceptional value.

Email pchen@worcpublib.org if you have any questions.

Culinary Arts Collection: Best Holiday Recipes!

Do you know you can find recipes and other culinary information from Culinary Arts Collection? The database is provided by Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and Mass Library System. A valid WPL library card is required to access the database.

 This database is comprised of more than 300 major cooking and nutrition magazines as well as almost 20 reference titles from Delmar, including
 ✔ Art Culinaire
 ✔ Better Nutrition
 ✔ Confectioner
 ✔ Delicious Living
✔ Environmental Nutrition
✔ Farmers Guardian
 ✔ Food and Drink
✔ Food Magazine
✔ Food, Culture & Society
✔ Prevention
✔ Tea & Coffee Trade Journal
✔ Vegetarian Times
✔ Wine Handbook
✔ And many more

The collection provides access to not only recipes, but also restaurant reviews, industry information and practical instruction, such as
✔ Creating baked goods
 ✔ Preparing popular recipes
✔ Managing your weight
✔ Choosing the right wine
✔ Gaining catering experience
✔ Preparing fast meals
✔ Practical advice on opening a restaurant
✔ Developing healthy eating habits
✔ Calculating recipes
✔ Becoming a wine connoisseur
✔ And much more

 To access: 
Go to www.worcpublib.org
Click Online Databases in the left column of the page
Choose Auto Repair, Culinary Arts, Consumer under By Subject
Select Culinary Arts Collection

Search Tips
• Choose from Basic, Subject Guide, Publication or Advanced Search
• Limit search to Full Text documents 
• Limit search results to Document Types,  such as recipes only
• Support a multilingual community by translating documents on-demand
• Manage documents in the collection by e-mailing, bookmarking or printing them

Sample Search: Holiday Recipes

• Type in holiday recipes in keyword search
• Check Only Full Text  in the left column
• Now you will be able to browse through over 84 holiday recipes at http://tinyurl.com/d5tyhsx

Sample Search: Thanksgiving recipes

• Type in thanksgiving in keyword search
• Check Only Full Text  in the left column
• Click Recipes under Document Types in the left column
• Now you will be able to browse through over 140 Thanksgiving recipes http://tinyurl.com/aapmzvp 

Enjoy the following two delicious recipes:

• Sears, Kate. "Our Thanksgiving cookbook." Good Housekeeping Nov. 2010: 156+. Culinary Arts Collection. Web. 17 Nov. 2012.  http://tinyurl.com/c33cwhu

• And the winner is: the best thanksgiving recipes from our reader contest." Vegetarian Times Nov. 2001: 64+. Culinary Arts Collection. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. http://tinyurl.com/apgw3ov

 
If you have any trouble accessing the database, please email Ping, the eResources Librarian at pchen@worcpublib.org

WPL Main Library Computer Classes!

  ———————— Level 1 ——————————

Computer Basics (4 Sessions)
Fridays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Third Floor, Computer Lab
Audience: For anyone who has no computer skills. Familiarize yourself with the computer. Gain mouse and keyboarding skills. Learn how to use the Internet. Sign up at the 2nd Floor Desk

                                  ***

eMail for Beginners
Drop-in Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Third Floor, Computer Lab
Audience: People who have taken the Computer Basics class or have basic computer skills. Will create a Gmail account for every student, teach how to send, and reply to a message, and attach a document. No registration required.

          ————————–——–———— Level 2 ——————————–—————

New!  Smart Searching Series (4 Sessions)
Drop-in Fridays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. 3rd Floor, Computer Lab
Audience: For people who have taken the Computer Basics class or have basic computer skills. Instruction on how to surf the Internet effectively, use Google, and access your library account online. Also, view recommended websites, learn to navigate online databases, and retrieve full-text documents. No registration required.

                                                                         ***

New! Introduction to Microsoft Word (4 Sessions)
Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Third Floor, Computer Lab
Audience: Students, Adult Learners Learn how to create and edit documents, format text, proofread, upload documents to email, and add tables and graphics. Pre-requisite: You must have an established email account prior to attending classes. Register on the Events Calendar on the library's website at www.worcpublib.org

          ———————–——–————–— Level 3 ——————————–—————

eBooks and eReaders
Drop in Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Third Floor, Computer Lab
Audience: Everyone who is interested Will demonstrate major features of different e-readers, and help students download library eBooks, audiobooks or music to his or her device. Please bring your device to the workshop if you have one.
                                                                           
                                                                        ***
                                                              
College Admission Essays, Resume, Job Applications, Research Help
Wednesday evenings 5:30-8:30 p.m. Second Floor Reference Desk
Audience: Students, Job Seekers, Adult Learners
Assistance with finding information on a topic, editing, content organization and citations. Register one hour session on the Events Calendar on the library’s website at www.worcpublib.org


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For more information, call 508-799-1655 x3 or email wplref@worcpublib.org Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Sq. Worcester MA 01608, revised on 1/20/13

Free JAWS Workshops

The Worcester Talking Book Library is planning a series of free JAWS workshops beginning this fall and continuing into the spring of next year. The workshops are open to all interested parties and not limited to Talking Book Library patrons. If you know someone who may be interested in the workshops, please let them know by sharing this announcement. Thank you.

The first two workshops, scheduled for November 10 and November 17, will offer an introduction to JAWS version 13, which will include important JAWS commands and keystrokes for editing and reading text; navigation; the computer desktop and start menu environments; and basic file management. Possible topics for future JAWS workshops may include using JAWS with NLS BARD downloads, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook and Windows Media Player as determined by participants’ preferences.

The workshops will be held in the computer lab at the Worcester Public Library on Saturday mornings from 10 AM – 12 noon. Participants are encouraged to bring a recording device or small tape recorder, as well as a set of earbuds or headphones to the workshop. Earbuds can be purchased at the Worcester Public Library for $2.00 for anyone who may need a set.

Workstation seating space is limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 18 people who register. Seating for an additional six observers will be available at the back of the computer lab.