Heather Fucinari
Heather Fucinari
LIBR 210
Practice Exercise 1-3
- I am thinking of starting a coffee roasting business, and I am doing some market research. What brand of ground coffee had the largest market share in the United States in 2005-2006? (If you can’t find it for 2005-2006 but you can find it for the year before or the year after, that will be fine.) What percent market share did it have?
a)Folger’s ground coffee was top in sales for 2006-2007 with 21.5% of the market share. Information found in the World Almanac Book of Facts.
b)After consulting the class wiki I accessed ThomasNet, the online version of Thomas Register of American Manufacturers. I did a Product/Service search for “Coffee”. I then realized this is specifically American companies and the company is not necessarily American. I misunderstood the purpose of this resource and moved on. I started digging in the “Almanacs & Yearbooks” section of the class wiki this seemed most logical. I did and advanced searchin WorldAlmanac via King Library database and limited results for keyword “market share” and book: “World Almanac Book of Facts”. Results returned were “Top Brands in Selected Categories, 2006-2007”, I scrolled to “Ground Coffee” and found Folgers had 21.5 % of the market share.
c)Q: What were the 3 leading causes of death in the US in 2004?
A: 1) Heart disease (27%), 2) Cancer (23 %) 3) Stroke (6 %)
d)~ 1 ½ hr.
- I am writing a paper about the Midwest’s voting record in the 1948 presidential election. Which presidential candidate was chosen in the state of Iowa in 1948? What about in Minnesota?
a)Iowa: Truman; Minnesota: Truman. Found in tables accessed from “Historical Statistics of the United States” database.
b)I searched the King Library “Reference & Background Sources” databases and found the “Historical Statistics of the United States” database. I used the “Contents” option to drill down to “Electoral and popular votes cast for President, by candidate: 1789–2000”. I found information on 1948 candidates, but no information by state. I found that Truman was the Democratic nominee and Dewey was the Republican nominee. I noted this information and accessed another table called “Popular votes cast for President, by state and political party: 1836–2000”. This table only has the party that got the popular vote, but not the name. I crossed referenced the two tables and deduced the answer: Iowa: Truman; Minnesota: Truman
c)Q: What was the average hours worked per day in 1900? I want to see if much has changed.
A: 9.89 hours was the average per day for all industries.
d)~45 min.
- I am going to be spending a year as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia, and I’m an avid bicyclist. I’m wondering if there are any bicycling associations in Ethiopia with which I might get involved when I am there. I’ve done some searching in Google, but I haven’t found anything suitable. Can you give me the name of a contact person as well as the address and phone number for a relevant association?
a)Name: National Ethiopian Cycling Federation
Address: Addis Abeba Bole M. 17 Keb. 05
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Contact: Mr. Tesfaye Stegaye, Pres.
Phone Number: 251 1 6638568
b)My first thought was to go to “Associations Unlimited” from the class wiki reference choices. I did a “Location” search by Ethiopia. I browsed the five pages and found the “National Ethiopian Cycling Federation”.
c)Q: I am a recovering alcoholic and planning a trip to England. How can I get a list of meetings while I’m there?
A: Contact Ann N. at phone number 44 1904 644026. They can direct you to AA meetings around the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
d)~ 5 min.
- I am a law librarian in Florida, and I am trying to find a foundation that might fund an initiative related to my law library that I am trying to get started. Can you tell me if there are any foundations that I might contact for funding? Can you give me their contact information?
a)The Foosaner Foundation
104 Riverside Dr., Ste. C-902
Cocoa, FL32922-7859
Contact: Dione L. Negroni, Pres.
It looks like they prefer initial contact via a letter and their types of support are general and operational.
b)By searching the class wiki it seemed that the Foundation Directory Online would be the best place to start. I accessed the director via King Library. I inquired from the “Search Grants” tab and entered State/County = Florida, clicked on “view index” for “Recipient Type” and chose “libraries (law)” and received no results. I changed the search to “Grantmaker” entered “libraries (law)” as field of interest and “Florida” for “Geographical Focus”.
c)Q: I work at a music archives in Los Angeles. Are there any grant foundations we might approach for funding?
A: Yes, The GRAMMY Foundation. Contact Kristin Murphy at (310) 392-3777. They are located in Santa Monica, CA.
d)~15 min.
- I believe that the video artist Nam June Paik had a retrospective exhibit at a museum in New York City in the year 2000. Which museum was it?
a)SolomonR.GuggenheimMuseum inNew York
b)The nature of this query made me think of trying to find this artists official website which was accessed September 20, 2008 at . The artist had only one exhibit in 2000. To back-up my results I went to King Library databases and accessed Encyclopedia Britannica Online. I did a search for Nam June Paik and found Art, Antiques and Collections from Year in Review 2000. The article confirmed the exhibit at the Guggenheim in New York.
c)Q: When in the history of motion pictures did the “B-movie” concept come about?
A: B-movies were introduced in the early 1930’s. The Encyclopedia Britannica is a great place to consult for additional timelines in motion picture history.
d)~30 min.
- I am going to a wedding with my boyfriend and I will be meeting his family for the first time. His family is very prim and proper. I saw on the menu for the dinner that they will be serving artichokes. I am not sure I’ve even seen an artichoke before, and I surely don’t know how to eat one. I’m sure his family knows all about etiquette, so I want to be sure I am eating properly. Can you lead me to a source that will explain how to eat it properly? I really like him and I don’t want him to break up with me. Should I just break up with him to save myself the embarrassment?
a)“Artichokes are always eaten with the fingers; a leaf at a time is pulled off and the edible end is dipped in the sauce, and then bitten off.” P. 583.
b)I attempted to retrieve “Emily Post’s Etiquette” at the Costa Mesa Public Library (CMPL) but it was checked out or miss shelved. The library only has one copy. I briefly consulted “Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette” as it was near the missing book, but nothing about artichokes. I ended up accessing “Emily Post’s Etiquette” via Project Gutenberg at I did a “Find” search for “Artichoke”.
c)Q: I have a friend who just moved here from Madagascar, they would like to know how to properly great people because it can be culturally very different. Where might I find some example of proper greetings?
A: Emily Post’s Etiquette has a helpful section on introductions and greetings.
It is a good place to start to avoid any uncomfortable exchanges.
d)~1 ½ between the library and internet search. Actual search time in book is about 30 seconds.
- I am a professor of film studies, and I was thinking about sending a proposal to a publishing company for a reference book about films that deal with labor issues. I haven’t seen such a reference book, and I think it would be a really useful source. Can you tell me if such a reference book has already been published? If so, what year was the most recent publication, and who was the publisher? And if there is such a book, I’d like to know the author’s name so I know who stole my great idea.
a)“Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds and Riffraff: An Organized Guide to Films about Labor” by Tom Zaniello. Cornell University Press most recently published it in 2003.
b)I mistakenly referenced the Literary Market Place from the library. I discovered this was not the correct material. I misunderstood the question and was thinking that I was looking for a publisher that would publish the book, not if this book already existed.I looked over the class wiki and decided that ARBA sounded like a better choice. I accessed ARBA via the King Library database and did a search with “film” as Keyword and “Labor” as Subject.
c)Q: I am an art student and looking for some reference material on Ethiopian Art. It isspecific and I cannot seem to find an art book dedicated to it.
A: Ethiopian Art: The Walters Art Museum by Deborah E. Horowitz will provide you with reference material for this subject.
d)~1 ½ hrs. Most of the time in the library. Actual ARBA reference took about 5 min.
- I’d like to find a list of schools in California that offer a Ph.D. in Japanese.
a)StanfordUniversity
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Irvine
b)Based on the resources available on the class wiki, I was available to access Peterson’s Graduate Programs. After attempting to see if I could get to the web edition via King Library I did use Google to go to the legitimate Peterson’s Grad Program search at I utilized the “Find a school” search and chose “Humanities” from the “Graduate School Subject Area”, “Japanese” from the “Graduate School Program”, “Doctorate” from the “Degree/Award Level” and “California” for “Locations”.
c)Q: I am nervous because I am going to have to take the GRE in preparation for graduate school. Is there any resource that might help?
A: Peterson’s Graduate Programs has some helpful tips and practice tests.
d)~20 min.
- I have renal failure, and I want to know if my taking Coumadin is going to interfere with my renal function. (Yes, I will also ask my physician or pharmacist, but I want to look up the information myself too.)
a) “No dosage adjustment is necessary for patients with renal failure”. There is a warning about bleeding risk with “renal insufficiency”. This seems to contradict the dosage information, so be sure to consult your physician or pharmacist. (P. 3458 of the 2008 Physician’s Desk Reference.)
b)I was concerned at first because a catalog search of the Costa Mesa Public Library turned up the newest version of the Physician’s Desk Reference was from 1974! When I asked the library she let advised me there was a 2008 edition for reference only behind the desk. I looked up Coumadin and found the heading “Renal Failure”. At first, I found a warning about bleeding risk with renal insufficiency but then the book specifically said there is no adjustment necessary.
c) Q: I found a strange pill in my son’s room with engraved numbers on it. Do you have any material that may help me identify it?
A: The Physician’s Desk Reference has a Product Identification Guide that shows many different kinds of medication. There is a good chance you will identify it there.
d)~30 min.
- I have an article that I’ve written that I would like to submit to the Classical World, which is a classical studies journal, but before I send it in, I want to check the approximate circulation of the journal. Can you give me a ballpark figure?
a)The circulation is approximately 3000, but the publisher did not specify the types of circulation.
b)By looking at the resources on the class wiki, Ulrich’s International Directory of Periodicals seemed like the best choice. I accessed via Ulrichsweb.com via the King Library database, browsed by Index: Title, then did a search “Classical World”. Contained in this search is circulation statistics.
c)Q: I am an advertiser looking for to place some ads for our film transfer business. I’m aware of many magazines, but are there any that are in development? I’m thinking I can get ad space for cheaper if they are just starting out.
A: The Journal of African Cinemas will be coming out in autumn of 2008. It’s printed in English. They are located in Britain, however.
d)~10 min.
- I recently started dating a guy who is from some small town called Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and when we are out, he often says he needs to find a bubbler because he is thirsty. I don’t know what he is talking about, and I’m worried he has a drinking problem. I’m thinking maybe I should break up with him before it gets any more serious. I already have an email written to him saying that I really like him but I’d just like to be friends, but I haven’t sent it yet. Before I send it, could you help me figure out what he is talking about?
a)Not to worry, a “bubbler” is a regional expression for drinking fountain. You may find the Dictionary of American Regional English a useful reference for other expressions he may use.
b) Fortunately, I was familiar with what the term “bubbler” meant from comparing regional words one day with someone I met many years ago. I just had to find my proof. Cassidy’s Dictionary of American Regional English (1985) was the first source consulted. (I lucked out that you chose “bubbler” because the library only had volume 1: A-C) This source made the most sense to me from the class wiki. I searched alphabetically for “bubbler”.
c)Q: I took a trip down South once and everyone seemed to only have Coke to drink. How can this be?
A: “Coke” is used in states such as Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina and others in that region as a generic term for carbonated beverages. You may hear a waitress say, “What kind of coke do you want?”.
d)~ 15min.
- I just got an email from a friend saying that I am supposed to bring the “mezz” to the party tonight, but I don’t know what he is talking about. I looked it up in my dictionary that my grandparents gave me for my high school graduation, and it says it’s an abbreviation for “mezzanine.” That doesn’t make any sense to me. Is there some other meaning?
a)Named from Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow-it appears your friend would like you to bring the marijuana to the party. On the other hand, perhaps he’s just a fan of jazz?
b) I had written down two sources from the class wiki that would be likely to have the answer: Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations Dictionary and Lighter’s Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang. I took a “short cut” before visiting the library and Google’d “mezz” to get a clue on what it could be. I deduced that the slang dictionary was the source to consult. I first looked for Lighter’s slang dictionary in the library, but could not find it. I found The Cassell Dictionary of Slang by Jonathan Green (1998) and looked up “mezz” alphabetically to back up the meaning I found via Google.
c) Q: I’d like to know how far back the term “doobie” goes. I heard my uncle say it and he’s old.
A: According to The Cassell Dictionary of Slang, the term came into popularity in the 1960’s. The book contains many other words and when they started being used incase you’d like to look up some on your own.
d) ~ 1 hour.
- I can never figure out the difference between “affect” and “effect” and now I am in a sociology class and I need to use those two words all the time in my papers. My professor took a ton of points off on my last paper because I guessed each time I had to use those two words (and evidently got them wrong each time). I looked in my Webster’s dictionary, and I don’t understand the distinction between the two definitions. I’m looking for a source that explains the two words in relation to each other. Can you show me a clear explanation for how these two words are used?
a)This is a very common problem and you can find a thorough explanation of the difference along with example of usage on page 26 of Garner’s Modern American Usage. The entries are alphabetical. Look for the entry, “affect;effect”.
b)Via the class wiki, I thought Fowler’s Modern English Usage the source to consult. This book is not available in the three local libraries that I frequent, so I consulted Garner’s Modern American Usage (2003). I searched alphabetically and on page 26 I found the helpful entry “affect;effect”. It looks like Fowler’s definition was noted in the entry of the Garner book.
c)Q: Why do I see “canceled” and “canceling” sometimes spelled with one “l” or two “ll”. Which one am I supposed to use?!
A: I’ve always wondered that myself! According to Garner’s Modern American Usage, American English uses one “l” in “canceled” and British English uses two
“ll”’s. However, “cancellations” is doubled because the accent falls on the third syllable.
- ~ 30 min.
- I know that Marcel Breuer is the architect that designed the library and a few other buildings at St. John’sUniversity in Collegeville, Minnesota. I heard that he also designed a church somewhere in Michigan. I was thinking of taking a road trip through the Midwest to see some of his works. Can you figure out what church it is and in which city in Michigan?
a)It looks like the building is St Francis de Sales church in Muskegon, MI. You are in for a treat during the road trip because this is a very beautiful part of Michigan!
b) First checked Encyclopedia Britannica. (2007.) Retrieved October 1, 2008, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online. got the answer from Dictionary of Art, which is Oxford Art Online retrieved at . I entered “Marcel Breuer” into the general search box. I then chose the link to his biography and did a CTRL+F to find “church”.