INTRODUCTION
At first glance, this list of questions
seemed quite daunting. However, knew that my previous work throughout the course
had prepared me to tackle a project such as this one. My first step in preparing
to complete this exercise was to print out a copy of every set of evaluations submitted thus far. That way, I would have a set of reference tools readily available as I made my way down the list (I knew
better than to assume I could recall which sources would be the most appropriate from memory).
1. What library holds a copy of The Oath of a Freeman, which appears in Evan’s American Bibliography?
SEARCH STRATEGY: American Bibliography is a clue that is provided
to allow searchers to find the complete citation of The Oath of a Freeman. The
Wheaton
College library does not have a copy of American Bibliography;
it only has a supplement. As the supplement did not prove to be useful, I searched
HELIN, the library’s electronic catalog that is a consortium of many libraries in the surrounding area. ANSWER: From HELIN, I learned that the University
of Rhode Island library has a copy of The Oath of a Freeman.
CITATION: Lawrence C., & Cary, Melbert B. 1939. The
Oath of a Free-Man with a Historical Study By Lawrence C. Wroth and
a Note on the Stephen Daye Press By Melbert B. Cary, Jr. New York:
Press of the Wooly Whale Wroth.
2. Is there a good comprehensive bibliography on kite flying?
SEARCH STRATEGY: The clue in this section is bibliography.
I began my search by looking for bibliographies relating to sports, since kite flying is a sport. Using the Wheaton catalog system, I found
the reference book Sociology of Sport: An Annotated Bibliography by Paul Redekop. This was not helpful, as the
sources listed were too general and not specific to kite flying. As I felt like
this was a dead end, I then tried searching the Wheaton catalog
for books or journals that might seem relevant. Again, I did not find anything
useful. My next approach was to search the Buley Library catalog. I found a database called SPORTDiscus, which I
hoped would contain a relevant article. Using the search terms “kite flying”
I was finally able to come up with the answer. ANSWER: Yes, there exists a comprehensive
bibliography on kite flying. It is called “Annotated kite bibliography”
and was written in 1979. See below for the complete citation.
CITATION: Annotated kite bibliography. (1979). Kite
Lines 1-4.
3. How many bridges are there like the Helmick Bridge in Ohio?
SEARCH STRATEGY: My first step was to
“google” Helmick Bridge,
so that I would know what characteristics to look for in other bridges. I learned
that the Helmick Bridge is a covered bridge
located in Killbuck Creek, Ohio. It underwent complete restoration in the 1990’s.
I then consulted the Statistical Abstract of the United States:
2006 to find the actual answer to this question. ANSWER: Page 708 contained
a table entitled “Bridge Inventory.” Since the table is broken down
by state, I learned that Ohio has 27,907 bridges. Of that figure, 3,052 bridges are structurally deficient and 4,050 bridges are functionally obsolete.
CITATION: Statistical Abstract of the
United States: 2006. (2006). Washington: U.S.
G.P.O.
4. What happens to valedictorians
when they leave school: do they continue to perform as well?
SEARCH STRATEGY: The wording of this question
led me to believe a study had to have been conducted; therefore, I needed to search through journal articles. Using the EBSCO host database, I further narrowed my search to Academic Search Premier. When using the search terms “valedictorian” and “graduation” produced very few
(and irrelevant) articles, I broadened my search to just “valedictorian.”
I scrolled through nearly one hundred articles before finding “Study Tracks Success of High School Valedictorians.” Fortunately, the article
was available in full text. ANSWER: According to a study by Karen Arnold, valedictorians
continue to be successful after graduating from high school, succeeding in college as well as the field they choose to pursue
after college.
CITATION: Gardner, M. (1995). Study tracks success of high school valedictorians. Christian Science Monitor, 87 (126), 12.
5. I need some information on postal rates for printed
matter. However, I've heard that the rate depends on what zone the material
is going to. What is a zone? What is the difference between Zone 1 and Zone 2?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I chose to consult Time
Almanac with Information Please, since I knew it would contain information on postal rates. The 2007 edition contains this information on pages 327-329. ANSWER:
This is part where I was left feeling confused, since there was no mention of a “zone” in determining postal rates. From what I could gather, the rates depend on the size/weight of the material, and
whether the material is being mailed first class, express, priority, media, etc. Zip
codes aid in delivery, but not in determining the price. I even consulted the
section on international postal rates, to see if that made mention to any zones. While
the rates were divided into regions (Canada, Mexico,
Western Europe and Israel, Australia,
Japan, and New Zealand,
and other countries and then by weight, there was no reference to a zone.
CITATION: Brunner, B. (ed.) (2007). Time
almanac with information please 2007. Boston, MA:
Pearson Education, Inc.
6. Where can I find a county by county presidential
election returns for all the states for the 2004 election?
SEARCH STRATEGY: My experience working at the reference desk of the Wheaton College library
helped me answer this question. Our reference section contains the America
Votes series, which seemed appropriate for finding the answer. ANSWER: A
closer examination of this series, specifically volume 26 which is dated 2003-2004, proved that this source would be useful. The book is divided into sections by state; within each state’s section there
is a breakdown (by county) of the total number of votes for the 2004 Presidential election in one of three categories: republican,
democrat, or other (totals and rep-dem plurality, as well as percentages, are also provided).
CITATION: Scammon, R.M., McGillivray, A.V., & Cook, R. (2006). America Votes 26: Election Returns by State. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
7. Where can I find some information about the peerages
in England?
I'd like to know how many types hereditary peerages there are. Is there
a place where I could see a list of names of these peers?
SEARCH STRATEGY: As I had no idea what peerages were, I began by searching the
term “peerages in England”
on google.com. Since Wikipedia is a reliable source, I then chose to review its
website. Surprisingly enough, all of the information could be found right on
this website. ANSWER: I learned that there are five types of hereditary peerages:
Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.
CITATION: Peerage of England,
from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. Retrieved December 6, 2006 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peerage_of_England.
8. My son is doing a project for school and needs
to find illustrations of the flags and coats-of-arms for each of the Canadian provinces. Can you direct me to a source?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I decided to consult Encyclopedia Canadiana, as I figured
that something that comprehensive devoted to just that country should have information on flag and coats of arms. I chose the volume that indexed the letter “f” (for flags). ANSWER: A glossy, color insert
between pages 168 and 169 (of volume 4) contains images of flags and coats of arms for each of the Canadian provinces.
CITATION: Encyclopedia Canadiana. (1972). Toronto:
Grolier of Canada.
9. How will you locate a library in the US
which has a special collection on Beethoven and where is it?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I began my search with American Library Directory, since I figured
it would provide information about special collections in libraries throughout the United States
and Canada. However, this proved to be a dead end since the directory does not contain a “subject” search. As I was placing these two books back on the shelf, I glanced around for another directory
that might be helpful. I found A Guide to Special Collections in the OCLC
Database. ANSWER: I referred to the index and looked up “Beethoven.”
Lo and behold, page 25 contained information about the special Beethoven collection housed at the San
Jose State University library
in California. Officially
titled “Ira F.
Brilliant Center for Beethoven
Studies Collection,” this collection contains over 350 editions of Beethoven’s scores and over 700 books about
Beethoven and related subjects.
CITATION: Schieber, P., Voedisch, V., & Wright, B. (1988). A guide to special collections in the OCLC database. Dublin, OH:
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
10. What are the call letters and the ad rates for
the radio station in Four Bears, North
Dakota?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I began searching for the answer to this question on google.com. Using
the search terms “Four Bears, North Dakota and radio
stations, I came across the following website: http://www.city-data.com/city/Four-Bears-Village-North-Dakota.html. Once I found the only FM radio station,
I then conducted a new google search, using the terms KMHA and 91.3, in order
to find the ad rates. ANSWER: KMHA 91.3 is the only fm radio station in
Four Bears, North Dakota.
While the websites I consulted did not provide information on ad rates, this could easy be determined by telephone
at (701) 627-3333.
CITATION:
Four Bears, North Dakota. (n.d). Retrieved December 10,
2006 from http://www.city-data.com/city/Four-Bears-Village-NorthDakota.html.
KMHA-FM 91.3 MHz: Four
Bears, North Dakota. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2006
from http://www.radiolocator.com/cgibin/finderall=KMHA&x=0&y=0&is_unl=Y&is_lic= &iscp=Y&sr=Y&s=C&sid=.
11. Can you find me an annotated list of scholarly articles on
whether murders (homicides) are more likely to be committed during a full moon?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I began this search by exploring Psychological Abstracts Index, in the hopes of finding a psychological
article linking murders with full moons. I looked up the word murder and was
instructed to “see homicides.” Under homicides, I found an article
that appeared as though it would answer this question. ANSWER: Using the index
and searching by subject, I found an article entitled “Homicides and the lunar cycle: Toward a theory of lunar influence
on human emotional disturbance,” which attempts to find correlation between the quality of the murder with whether or
not the moon is full or new. The 23 references included could also be consulted
for further validation.
CITATION: Lieber, A. L. & Sherin,
C. R. (1972) Homicides and the lunar cycle: Toward a theory of lunar influence on human emotional disturbance. American Journal of Psychiatry, 129(1), 69-74.
12. What is the correct title (i.e. please verify) the title of the
pamphlet Samuel Swett Green wrote for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia? Any library report holding it?
SEARCH STRATEGY: Wikipedia proved to be helpful
in finding the answer to this question. After consulting a
couple of websites that appeared on the top of the google search
results page (I used the search terms Samuel Swett Green) that contained only a brief paragraph on the famous librarian,
I examined Wikipedia. This entry stated the name of the pamphlet that Green
wrote and where it was published. ANSWER: This is the citation for the article
Green wrote and then presented at the 1876 Green, Samuel Swett. “Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers.” Library Journal, v.
1 (October 1876), 74-81. The Providence Public Library in Providence, Rhode Island has this edition of Library Journal.
CITATION: Samuel Swett Green. (page last updated on December 7, 2006). Retrieved
December 10, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Swett_Green.
13. I need to define operationally the concept of “quality of
graduate education”; is there any literature on the topic?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I decided that dissertation abstracts would be a good place to
start this search. If I could find a thesis on this topic, the list of references
would provide me a list to which I could refer to answer this question. Since
the topic relates to education, I chose to search the database Education Abstracts. Using the search terms “graduate education and quality” I was able to
find a relevant article. ANSWER: Kirkwood’s “The quest for quality
in graduate education” not only serves as a starting point for attempting to define this topic, but its bibliography
also provides other sources that could be consulted for further defining the topic.
CITATION: Kirkwood,
R. (1985). The quest for quality in graduate education. Educational Record, 66, 4-8.
14. How many quarts would be contained in a rehoboam, a methusaleh,
a salmanezar, a balthazar and a nebuchadnezzar? Quarts of what?
SEARCH STRATEGY: Since I had never heard of any of these terms, I first consulted
google.com in order to gain some background information. When I searched the
term rehoboam alone, I was given information about a king in the ancient Kingdom Judah.
However, when I added “measurement” to the search term, I learned that all of the above terms are methods
of measuring wine. ANSWER: Note: 1 liter = 1.0556 quarts
1
rehoboam = 4.5 liters = 4.7502 quarts
1
methusaleh = 6 liters = 6.333 quarts
1
salmanezar = 9 liters = 9.5004 quarts
1
balthazar = 12 liters = 12.667 quarts
1
nebuchadnezzar = 15 liters = 15.834 quarts
CITATION:
The following websites were consulted when answering this question:
Liter
to Gallon / Quart / Pint / Cup / Ounce Conversion. (n.d.) Retrieved December 10, 2006 from
http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Metric/number-liters.html.
Engineering
Database. (2001-2006). Retrieved December 10, 2006 from http://www.diracdelta.co.uk/science/source/b/o/bottle/source.html.
15. What is the Roman numeral for 1,000,000
(one million)?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I thought the Time almanac with information please would be a
good source to start with, since it contains answers to much ready reference type of questions. Using the index, I learned that information on Roman numerals could be found on page 428. ANSWER: The Roman numeral for 1,000,000 is M.
CITATION: Brunner, B. (ed.) (2007). Time
almanac with information please 2007. Boston, MA:
Pearson Education, Inc.
16. Who is the ABC television affiliate in Dallas, Texas?
SEARCH STRATEGY: The most efficient way to
find an answer to this question was to search online. Using google.com I searched
for the following keywords: Dallas and television and ABC. The second website on the list caught my attention as being the one that would answer
this question. ANSWER: WFAA Channel 8 is the ABC television affiliate in Dallas, Texas.
CITATION: WFAA.com (2006). Retrieved December
10, 2006 from http://www.wfaa.com/.
17. What is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Alberta
Canada?
SEARCH STRATEGY: Using google.com, I searched
for the following terms: largest newspaper and Alberta, Canada. From the list of results,
one immediately caught my attention, as it listed a number of newspapers in the region as well as a brief sentence describing
each one. ANSWER: The Camrose Morning News is the largest daily circulating newspaper. It serves Camrose, Alberta.
18. Is there a national
organization for the families of Alzheimer's disease
sufferers?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I had known from previous
work experience that Wheaton has Yearbook of International
Organizations. I figured that if there is an organization for families of
Alzheimer’s disease, it should be listed. ANSWER: As of 1999, there existed
an international organization: Alzheimer’s disease International, whose purpose is to “improve the quality of
life of people with dementia and their caregivers.” Members include family members of victims with Alzheimer’s.
CITATION: Yearbook of international organizations.
(1999). Munchen, Germany:
K.G. Saur Verlag GmbH & Co.
19. Who owns Subway?
How can I get a franchise?
SEARCH STRATEGY: I thought that searching
the Gales database was the most logical way to go about searching for the answers to these questions. However, the search did not produce relevant to this franchise. Next,
I searched the internet for Subway and found the franchise’s homepage. Here,
I was able to determine the answer to each question. ANSWERS: Subway is owned by a private company: Doctor’s Associates
Inc. The current president is Fred DeLuca (he is also the founder). There are three steps to obtaining a franchise: research the franchise, submit an application, and “next
steps” (look at restaurant maps, contact regional sales managers, and/or research capital investment information).
CITATION: Subway. Retrieved December 2, 2006
from http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/index.aspx.
20. Who was the first woman to serve in the U.S. congress? Which state did she represent?
SEARCH STRAETGY: I consulted CQ’s
Encyclopedia of America Government, Congress
A to Z: A Ready Reference Encyclopedia in order to find the answer to this question.
Using the index, I located the section on women in Congress. ANSWER: I
learned that Jane Rankin was the first women elected to Congress. This happened
in 1916 (prior to the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote in 1920).
She was a Republican representative from Montana.
CITATION: CQ’s Encyclopedia of America Government, Congress A to Z: A Ready Reference Encyclopedia.
(1993) Washington, D.C.:
Congressional Quarterly Inc.
