The Regional Reference Center at Memorial Hall Library provides reference support for all NMRLS member libraries. We are happy to brainstorm questions with you, or use our well-developed reference collection to help answer difficult questions. You can contact us by phone at 978-623-8401 Ext. 31, or by email at rdesk@mhl.org.

New Reference Additions

Americans at War: Society, Culture, and the Homefront is a four volume reference set that examines the effect of wars on the national identity of the American people. The coverage begins in 1500 and continues to the present Iraq war.

Official Hakes Guide to Character Toys lists the value of 15,000 character themed toys, comic books, figures, hand puppets, and buttons.

Strategic Business Letters and Email is a step-by-step guide for crafting letters. It walks the user through the process of defining a message, choosing effective wording, and arranging the document for visual impact.

Interesting Web Sites

Video ETA - videoeta.com/
Check out Video ETA for video release dates of films and television series.

Back to School Tips for Parents - www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/augschool.htm
This site sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics lists safety information for parents.

Stumper for July/August:

How was the artillery captured from the British at Fort Ticonderoga in New York transported to Cambridge to be used to drive the British from Boston in the Revolutionary War?

Answer: The artillery was carried by boat over Lake George and then pulled on sleds drawn by oxen through the Berkshires and to Boston.
Source: Perry, Clay. "Big Guns for Washington." American Heritage April 1955, p. 12.

Gwen Charter found the answer in David McCullough's latest book, 1776. Gwen is the Head of Reference at the Peabody Institute Library in Peabody. Good work, Gwen!

Stumper for September:

Did Matt Damon ever appear in a television program?

Until next month,
Eleanor Sathan
Regional Reference Librarian
esathan@mhl.org