Learn how to seek grants, identify partners, and find resources.

Presented by Kim Patton, Training Coordinator
The Foundation Center

Central Library
Wednesday, October 14; 7:00 pm
Register online, in person, or by calling 410.313.7860

Elaine Johnson – Central Library

How To Buy the Best, an upcoming class, instructs you on ways to locate consumer product information from reputable online resources prior to making an important purchase.

Howard County Central Library
Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00 pm
Register online or by calling 410.313.7860
           
Elaine Johnson – Central Library

Everyone knows you can get your hands on any number of great books at Howard County Library. This blog helps you find materials you may not have known about, but where can you go if you still need more direction? Obviously one place is the online catalog. But have you ever heard of NoveList*? As the name indicates, NoveList contains "stuff" about novels — a lot of stuff.

At the simplest level, NoveList lets you look up a book to find the author, or locate an author to see what he or she has written. But you ask, how does that differ from using the Library’s catalog? NoveList also helps you find plot summaries, cover art, and reviews of the books you want. These, too, can be found in the catalog, though.

Fortunately, there’s STILL a lot more. For starters, you can describe a book’s plot and NoveList will use this information to help you find it. Once found, NoveList will tell you if the book you located is part of a series. If it is, you can click on the series name to produce a chronological list of the series’ titles.

Many NoveList book entries about more prominent authors also have links to "Author Read-alikes," which is an ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL feature. Click on an "Author Read-alikes" link and you are brought to an essay telling you something about the author and profiling similar writers (and their books). If you liked the first novelist, the odds are good that you’ll like the authors in a "Read-alikes" essay.

Finally, NoveList contains Book Discussion Guides for book clubs, lists of award winners, and "Recommended Reads" for people of different ages and interest. A companion database called NoveList K-8* offers similar coverage for books aimed at the younger set.

NoveList can be quite helpful in finding books for your own reading enjoyment. But it is absolutely indispensable in helping you select books for someone else. If your tastes run to books loaded with gladiators, artillery, or exploding depth charges and you’re asked to venture out of your comfort zone to get your wife a few romance novels on your next Library trip, start your search in NoveList. In circumstances like this, it can be a lifesaver.

*If accessing the database outside of Howard County Library, you will be prompted to enter your library barcode number.

Joe McHugh – Administration