Try our Newton News Index

The Newton News Index is a staff-created online database of citations for newspaper and magazine articles about Newton, Massachusetts and its citizens.  Coverage begins with publication dates in 1999.  The index allows for searching articles using keywords, and returns the publication name, date, and page number where the full article may be located. Most of the articles indexed are from the city’s local newspaper, the Newton Tab.

Once you find an article you need, microfilm copies of the newspapers are available at the Library.  For help in searching, view the search guidelines on the search page, or ask a Librarian for assistance.

Audiobooks have returned!

OverDrive is here–the Library has a new service for audiobooks and eBooks!  Items in the collection include newly-released books, some titles that are “always available” no matter how many patrons want to check them out, and foreign language study.  The Minuteman Library Network will continue to grow this collection, so check back frequently!

OverDrive Audiobooks and eBooks   (Home Access Only) 
Please note: You will need to download additional software the first time you borrow an OverDrive title. OverDrive will prompt you to download the necessary software after you check out a title. For more information, see the Quick Start Guide under “Getting Started” on the OverDrive page.

Need scholarly articles?

JSTOR has them–over 1,800,000 of them!  Also over 1 million book reviews, and content going back to 1665.  The database includes over 900 full-text journals across more than 40 disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.  Available at the Library or from home, it’s our Database of the Month for October.

JSTOR   Home Access | In Library Access
(Home access for this database is available only to Newton residents with a Newton library card number beginning 21323.)

Flu and Flu clinic information

Looking for a Flu Clinic?  Click here to search for flu clinics in Massachusetts by zip code, town name, or map location. Some clinics offer pneumococcal (“pneumonia”) immunizations as well as seasonal flu immunizations. When clinics begin providing H1N1 swine flu immunizations, that information will also be listed.  Information on Newton flu clinics, as well as other information specifically for Newton residents, can be found here.

Flu.gov (from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) has many resources for information on both seasonal and H1N1 flu, including a new H1N1 Flu Self-Evaluation guide for adults 18 and older and a Flu Myths and Facts section.

Both the Massachusetts Department of Health and the CDC also have websites with constantly updated flu information.

Need help with your investments?

Morningstar Investment Research Center is a comprehensive online investing database, available free at the Newton Free Library, providing independent opinion and data on more than 30,000 stocks and mutual funds.

To learn more about the database, attend a free online training session from home or office:

WHEN:  Wednesday, September 30th, at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time).

WHERE:  Anywhere with phone and internet access.

HOW:  To register, send an e-mail to librarytraining@morningstar.com, and mention the Newton Free Library.

Or try it out at the Library at your convenience:
Morningstar Investment Research Center*
(In Library Only–also via wireless in the Library)

Looking for a good book?

NoveList ® 
Home Access | In Library Access

The Library has an online database to help you!  Our September Database of the Month is NoveList®, with information on over 155,000 fiction titles. 

NoveList’s easy to use “Find” box enables you to quickly search for books, authors, series, and plots for readers of all ages.  Other features include author read-alikes, BookTalks, feature articles and book discussion guides.

Not sure what you’re looking for?  Click on “Recommended Reads” under an age category to browse through hundreds of titles carefully selected by librarians and organized by genre or topic.  Or type a topic in the “Find” box (baseball, summer vacations, “women detectives in New York”) and “play” with the results.

Still need more ideas?  Check out the books Newton librarians have selected for our Books for You database, or fill out our questionnaire to have a personalized booklist emailed to you.

We have more…view or sign up for emailed BookLetters newsletters on various topics.

And once you’ve found a good book, we’d love your reviews for our Newton Reads blog!

Listen to blues and jazz (and other music) on your computer

Our August Database of the Month is

African American Song*   Home Access | In Library Access

This free online music collection contains jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk songs, and other genres.  Listen to music in the library with headphones or at home on a pc or MAC using Windows Media Player.  Create and save your own playlists using the registration feature.

Want more music?  Try our other streaming-music databases:

American Song*   Home Access | In Library Access

Classical Music Library*   Home Access | In Library Access

Naxos Music Library*   Home Access | In Library Access

Smithsonian Global Sound*   Home Access | In Library Access

Happy listening!

New features for reading database articles

Gale’s Infotrac databases (Academic OneFile, General Reference Center, Science Resource Center, Health Reference Center, Literature Resource Center, etc.) have added new features to use when reading articles:

1)  Dictionary:  Highlight any word or phrase in an article, click “dictionary,” and your understanding increases!

2)  Audio:  No time to read?  Most articles can now be read to you by a charming automated voice!  You can even download these mp3 files for later listening (educational, noncommercial use only).  Many Fodor’s Guides are in the General OneFile database, for example.  Type “italy travel” in the search box and the “Books” tab will show 46 books.  Download one for listening on the plane!

3)  Translation:  Read your articles in 11 languages–yes, the results are machine-generated, and “in no way intended to replace human translation,” but it’s fun for learning new vocabulary!

4)  Social networking tools:  Share articles on Facebook, Twitter, Del.icio.us, MySpace, and more.

Our article databases (Gale’s and others) can be found here.

Newton librarian speaks to Association of Jewish Libraries

Last month, Reference Librarian Cathy Balshone-Becze spoke at the regional conference for the New England chapter of the Association of Jewish Libraries (NEAJL),  held at Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, Connecticut.  She spoke on “What Public Libraries Can Do For Special Libraries: Presenting an Overview of Services.”  See a report on her talk and view her PowerPoint presentation on the Association’s blog, where you can also read more about the meeting and the other presentations.

Volunteering in Retirement

On Wednesday July 15th at 7:00 p.m., the Library’s Retirement Planning Club for Women will present a talk by Linda Fitzgerald, Massachusetts AARP State President, on Volunteering in Retirement.

She is a life-long advocate, advisor and educator for seniors and their families, and was appointed to the volunteer position in March 2009.
For the past 30 years, Fitzgerald has volunteered with AARP in a variety of roles, including most recently as a member of the AARP Massachusetts Executive Council and as a Congressional key contact.

The talk will be held in Druker Auditorium, and is free and open to the public.  More information about the Retirement Planning Club is available here, or call the Reference Department at (617) 796-1380.