Encyclopedia Britannica and Funk Music in Space

The last time I used the Encyclopedia Britannica was in 1991. Tasked with reporting on space travel for a 3rd grade science class I eagerly consulted my family's well-loved 26 volume encyclopedia seeking out a moon landing. I pulled out the M book and lugged it to the kitchen table. I copied facts and figures, stats and phrases. I even doodled several stick figures floating between also stick-like stars and planets. As I neared the end of the entry heading "moon" I read, "Someday, man will travel to the moon." Turns out the family encyclopedia was published in 1963. A cherished family heirloom sure but no help in updated research. Even for a 3rd grade science report.

Things have changed in the past 21 years (thank you, interweb). Online Britannica - Public Library Edition - means current, relevant research. Wind energy seems to be a hot button issue in my area so that is where I started. First up were basic terms and definitions. The how-tos and the wheres. A brief history of the topic. The next several articles delved deeper into the why and why nots, citing the good bad and uglies along with the why we shoulds. I learned about the possibilities and the limitations of wind power from many angles. Very informative.

I was amused that among the top eight articles was a biography of Earth, Wind and Fire. Then again, a break to rock out to some Afro-Caribbean funk/soul/jazz-fusion from the 70s can't hurt. I mean 11 consecutive gold albums proves they must have been doing something right. " You're a shinning star, no matter who you are!" (Tangent achieved.)

Workspace Projects is killer! What a great opportunity to collect and store articles online. Saves printing paper plus gathers unlimited sources to build a database for any project. Also, the built in how to cite this page is fantastic.

I don't see the "Turn on Spanish Translator" feature as having a great impact on my library's patrons. Franklin county is 1.1% "persons of Hispanic or Latin origin." A French translator might be more apt. I did amuse myself by learning some topic based Spanish vocab. Viva la energia del viento!

It's always fun to check out a This Day in History. This is a good place to look for daily book display ideas. Plus who can resist checking out what happened on their birthday? (December 2nd. Send gifts.)

Even though the voice is a bit computer creepy I liked the read aloud option featured in the "for Kid's" version of Britannica. This could be a useful feature for all ages.

Country comparison proved very enlightening. Vanuatu and Azerbaijan have more in common than you might think. Also like the flag feature here.

Quotations by Author was mid-line useful. I was surprised at the lack of X or Z authors. In the history of saying something witty I would have assumed Mr. Xanthu or Mrs. Zither would have said something of note. The set up feels a bit wonky here. It seems more likely to seek out the sayer (is that not a word?) of a particular quote versus famous quotes by a particular person; who was it that said, "Go west, young man" versus what great thing did Horace Greeley say.

Lastly, Year in Review proved to be an amusing time suck. All that stuff really happened in 1997?! The obituaries section was of particular interest.

It's all great.
My faith in encyclopedias has been restored.
Yes, I checked under "moon".
The Eagle had landed.

Happy Reading and Cheers!