The Electronic Newsletter of the Palm Beach County Library System

Contents:
1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes
2/ Introducing the Community Health Information Service
3/ Useful Web Links Section Highlight – “The Mind” Links
4/ Reader's Advisory Section Highlight – “Publishers”
5/ Independence Day Closing – Thursday, July 4
6/ In Next Month's Issue

1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes

Welcome to the June issue of Books & Bytes. This month, we will introduce our new Community Health Information Service. This will be followed by an exploration of “The Mind” category in Useful Web Links. We will examine the “Publishers" section in our Reader's Advisory and alert you to a holiday closing.

We hope you enjoy receiving Books & Bytes. Please let us know what you think of our publication by writing to: webmaster@pbclibrary.org

2/ Introducing the Community Health Information Service

On June 1, the Palm Beach County Library System launched the electronic portion of our newest information service: the Community Health Information Service. It is supported by a grant from the Quantum Foundation. Whether you need information about a specific illness or medication, want to prepare yourself with a list of questions before visiting the doctor, or just want to know about nutrition and exercise to maintain your health, the answers can be found here @ your Library.

The mission of the Community Health Information Service is to contribute to the quality of life of Palm Beach County residents by improving their access to health-related information. The web site is designed with you, the consumer, in mind. It contains a comprehensive and authoritative collection of health information resources. Our professional staff of librarians will provide personalized assistance and follow-up by telephone or e-mail. We always consider your inquiries confidential.

The best health web sites have been collected on the World Wide Web Resources page. It contains “First Stop” as well as “Health and Medical Search Tools.” It also offers links to government health sites along with health and medical publications. In addition, we offer links to general help sites on the web, along with sites that assist you in evaluating the quality of the information you locate.

The Community Health Information Service provides access to local medical resources. Our Library System owns a large collection of books on health and medical issues. We also provide access to several top-notch electronic databases that carry articles from professional journals and health magazines. The library also owns many health-related periodicals, with the largest collection held at the Main Library.

Whether you have a medical condition, or are simply curious about the resources that we offer, you are invited to visit the new Community Health Information Service.

3/ Useful Web Links

As a regular feature each month, we examine one section of our Useful Web Links. Our web directory is compiled by librarians who apply their knowledge and Internet experience to recommend web sites for each topic.

Are you looking for a biography of Sigmund Freud? Are you tracking down the true meaning of the word Jihad? Or are you doing research into the mind-body connection? If so, you can find great resources in the “The Mind” section of Useful Web Links (formally called “Beliefs”).

The “Beliefs” section is divided into three subsections: Psychology, Religion, and Philosophy.

The Psychology subsection links to these great behavioral web sites:

The “American Psychological Association” (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States with more than 155,000 members.

The “American Psychological Society” promotes, protects, and advances the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in research, application, and the improvement of human welfare.

“The Encyclopedia of Psychology” is intended to facilitate browsing in any area of psychology.

“History of Psychology” links to significant psychological literature that are found on the World Wide Web.

“Psychology Online Resource Central” is an attempt to present the best of the best on the web and share them with students and colleagues.

The Religion subsection lists this array of sites to assist the young and old alike:

“Beliefnet” is a multi-faith e-community designed to help you meet your own religious and spiritual needs - in an interesting, captivating, and engaging way.

The “Council on Spiritual Practices” is a collaboration among spiritual guides, experts in the behavioral and biomedical sciences, and scholars of religion, dedicated to making direct experience of the sacred more available to more people.

“Psychology of Religion Pages” is a general introduction to the psychology of religion. It examines what psychologists have learned about how religion influences people's lives.

The “Religious Freedom Page” is concerned with issues of religious freedom in the U.S. and around the world. It contains information about religious freedom in a particular nation, along with theoretical and historical issues.

The “Virtual Religion Index” analyzes & highlights important content of religion-related web sites to speed research. Hyperlinks are provided not only to home pages but to major directories & documents within.

“World Religion Gateway” is a listing of faiths from around the world, including major religions and sects. The directory links to sites about the religion and the culture that surrounds it.

The Philosophy subsection links to web sites:

The “American Philosophical Association” is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States.

“Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind” is a free resource for all those interested in the philosophy of mind. It defines those terms commonly used, defined, contested, and misunderstood.

“EpistemeLinks.com” includes thousands of sorted links to philosophy resources on the Internet and has several additional features.

The “Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy” is an alphabetical listing of topics in philosophy, including individual philosophers and schools of thought.

“Philosophy in Cyberspace” indexes thousands of philosophy resources on the web. It indexes schools of thought, journals, philosophy departments, and other online resources.

To visit these great sites, drop by “The Mind” section of Useful Web Links at:

4/ Reader's Advisory Highlight

Looking for more information on famous and not-so-famous literature? Do you want to delve deeper into a genre? Or do you simply want to read a good book? As a regular feature each month, we examine one page of our Reader's Advisory. This month, we will explore the world of "Publishers."

The Publishers section provides links to the major publishing houses in the United States, along with some specialized, smaller publishers.

Among the major publishers that we link to are:
Harper Collins
MacMillan
Random House
Simon and Schuster
Time Warner

We also link to publishers who specialize in educational titles:
Addison Wesley & Benjamin Cummings
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Jossey-Bass
McGraw Hill Publishing Co.
San Francisco Study Center
Scholastic

There are also a few genre-specific publishers on our list:
Baen Publishing (Science Fiction)
Harlequin (Romance)
St. Martin's Press (Mystery)

Finally, our list rounds out with selected smaller publishing houses:
Butterworth-Heinemann
Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publishing Online
W. W. Norton & Company Inc.

So if you are looking for previews, or new books, or information about large and small publishing houses, take a look at the “Publishers” section of Reader’s Advisory.

5/ Independence Day Closing

All Palm Beach County Library System locations will be closed on Thursday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

No materials will be due on that day. All library locations will reopen on Friday, July 5, at their regular hours.