Monthly Archives: October 2016

Handbook of the Mammals of the World

A great series of books we have in the Reference Collection is the magnificent Handbook of the Mammals of the World from Lynx Edicions. ‘Handbook’ is a bit of a misnomer, as you’d need Hagrid’s hands to hold one comfortably; they’re closer to coffee table books in size, but the content is scientific in scope and presentation rather than general interest. The books are beautifully and profusely illustrated with wonderful color photographs, drawings, and range maps, and filled with scientific descriptions of each mammal. The articles are good starting points for further research on a given animal; there is also an extensive bibliography at the end of each volume. Six out of a projected nine volumes have been published since 2009:

Volume 1: Carnivores
Volume 2: Hoofed Mammals
Volume 3: Primates
Volume 4: Sea Mammals
Volume 5: Monotremes and Marsupials
Volume 6: Lagomorphs and Rodents I

We will soon have Volume 6, while the remaining volumes to be published are:

Volume 7: Rodents II
Volume 8: Insectivores
Volume 9: Bats

And did I mention the amazing photographs? Hunting, eating, resting, mating, raising young, and even spy hopping, where whales in a vertical posture raise their heads above the surface of the water so that they can see what’s going on – the photographs are stunningly good and a great complement to the articles. You can find the first five volumes in the Reference Collection at this call number:

REF QL701.2 .H36 2009

They’re well worth taking a few minutes to get acquainted with. Enjoy!

Data sources for information about your community

Where can you find reliable information about your local community and the United States? Discover this and more at the Population and Economic Data Workshop taking place at the library tomorrow, October 18, 2016 from 9 AM to 4 PM. The event features presenters from the Alaska Department of Labor, the United States Census Bureau, and the Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs. We will have a full day of workshop sessions, and you can attend just one or all of them. Spots are still available; view the schedule and sign up here: register to reserve seats.

Can’t attend? Try exploring the data and statistics sources listed on the Government Information research guide: http://libguides.consortiumlibrary.org/government_information.

The Nobel Prize goes to…

This is the time of year that the Nobel Prizes are handed out to individuals who have made important contributions within Medicine (or Physiology), Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Economics. On Thursday, October 13th, the recipient for the Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced. The Nobel Prize originates from Alfred Nobel, a Swedish businessman, inventor, engineer and chemist, who in 1895 decided to leave the bulk of his fortune in trust to establish a set of prizes. The prize in Economics was established in 1968 by the Swedish Central Bank (Sveriges Riksbank) in memory of Alfred Nobel. To find out more about the Nobel Prize, please take a closer look at the Nobel website. You can find out about the history of the prize and learn about current and past recipients at Nobelprize.org.