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West Vancouver Memorial Library · Winter/Spring 2006 · Issue 10 The Inquiring Mind Information Anytime, Anywhere Search engines like Google are great for finding fast facts and current events, but what about other information - like in-depth investment analysis, news stories from the past decade, or well-researched articles on arcane topics? That's where library databases come in. All you need is an internet connection and your library card, and you can access a wealth of information, no matter where you are or what time it is. Databases are electronic tools for finding information - like search engines - but they are much more specialized, selective, and sophisticated. Instead of returning a hodgepodge of results, databases give you focused, reliable, and accurate information. Databases come in many shapes and sizes. Many contain the full text of magazine and newspaper articles. Some databases contain other kinds of information, like financial and company data, or even recorded music! And still others are like online reference books: encyclopedias, dictionaries, and so on. To access databases through the West Vancouver Memorial Library, come into the library, or - if you have your WVML library card and access to the Internet - just go to www.westvanlibrary.ca and click E-Resources. From the Director of Library Services Ann Goodhart Have you ever visited our website at www.westvanlibrary.ca? Last year our home page had 116,101 hits coming from outside this building. This is a 20.9% increase over hits in 2004. You can do all kinds of things on the site: • Check the catalogue to see if we own a book • See if a book is checked in • Renew your books • Check to see what you have on hold • See when the next Family Storytime is scheduled • Check on the date of the next concert • See which artists are showing in the Gallery • Find a review or read the first chapter of many new books • Find recommendations for good books • Read a magazine article • Look something up in the Encyclopaedia Britannica • Listen to music None of these things will be changing, but in 2006, the look of the website WILL be changing. If there are things you find confusing, ideas you would like us to consider or things you love about the current site, please let us know at info@westvanlib.org. This issue of The Inquiring Mind includes information about many of the rich resources you can find on the website. If you have questions, be sure to ask next time you are in or send us an e-mail. www.westvanlibrary.ca tel. 604.925.7400 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver BC V7V 1J8