If you’re a debater, a fan of politics talk shows, or otherwise a news junkie, or if you want to follow what lawmakers are up to, you’ll be pleased to learn about two databases the Library subscribes to: CQ Researcher and CQ Public Affairs Collection. The Library subscribed in the hopes that they’d put the huge amounts of information the government puts out in context and make research a lot easier. They’re premium stuff, and available for anyone with a library card to search regardless of where they are. Even if government’s not your cup of tea, you’ll still find in-depth analysis of the news that exceeds the level of detail of even major papers such as the New York Times. CQ Researcher, in particular, makes extremely interesting reading. Everything from what the FCC can or should do when people like Don Imus put their foot in their mouth, to the relationship between religion and politics, gets discussed and debated.
CQ Researcher represents the latest step in the Free Library’s ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of students writing debate papers as well as the interested public. Used together with one of our most popular databases, the pro-and-con Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, it helps provide a balanced perspective of both sides on major controversial topics. It is the online version of a print publication that focuses on a single new topic each week. In addition to detailed background information, issues feature a bibliography followed by 500-word pro and con essays and timelines. Recent topics have included the global food crisis, the transition to digital TV, and campaign finance reform, although comprehensive recent information for long-term controversies including abortion and the death penalty is also available.
CQ Public Affairs Collection is a more technical resource focused on helping researchers track specific actions of the government. It can provide a user-friendly alternative to begin government documents research before users plunge into the large amounts of text on government websites. CQ Public Affairs Collection puts analyses, summaries, and the text of key government documents including laws and court opinions side-by-side with contextual information such as behind-the-scenes notes, key congressional votes, timelines, facts and figures, association information, etc. Try a search for “Second Amendment”, for example, and you will find an analysis of why the National Rifle Association ended up agreeing with a gun control supporter on a law she proposed. If politics has always seemed mysterious or you’ve been overwhelmed by the reams of documents Uncle Sam puts out every year, give CQ Public Affairs Collection a try. Then jump full force into primary sources at one of our libraries!
To access these and all other databases, go to the Advanced Search page or click on “databases” in the blue Find section on the Library’s home page. You’ll initially see the databases sorted into subject categories, but if you prefer an A-to-Z view, click Browse All. Be sure to have your library card handy, and make sure that you know your PIN number. If you don’t remember your PIN number, use our PIN Request Form or contact your local librarian.
CQ Researcher provides detailed perspectives in a fun-to-read yet authoritative format.
Have a question for Free Library staff? Please submit it to our Ask a Librarian page and receive a response within two business days.
This is an excellent news article.
As someone who has an interest in current events, I'll be sure to follow CQ. Thanks.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Looks like CQ is going to make things a lot better, I am going to keep my eye on it !! Thanks
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Dear Mrs.
Siobhan Reardon
Director & President
Free Philadelphia Library
As daily patrons of the Kingsessing branch library, we are quite puzzled over the selection of the Cobbs Creek branch to stay open over the Kingsessing branch.
The Cobbs Creek branch is on the edge of the city, near a street and a 5-point intersection that is very dangerous for drivers, let alone for us walking patrons. The Cobb Creek building is smaller and dilapidated. The Kingsessing branch circulations numbers are higher than the Cobb's Creek branch.
We know one of the criteria you used was being accessible to the most patrons within a 2 miles walking distance to justify your choices, but there should have been a thought about the human safety factor.
Like the crossing of that dangerous intersection (near 58Th & Baltimore ave.) to get to Cobbs Creek branch by walking patrons.
In addition to our children having to walk through tough, drug invested areas and cross gang turfs to get to the Cobb's branch, which will potentially lead to kids fighting. This turf fighting has a past history in this area!
This will no doubt put more people in avoidable peril, specially our children. We suggest you try it yourself and see what we mean! Of course our preference would be not to close any library branches at all. But now, we are talking about a real safety Issue.
We also know that the Cobb's Creek branch failed more of your statistical "criteria" than the Kingsessing branch did, and you can look at your very own statistics and see this! We implore and plead with you to please review and reevaluate, and reconsider this particular choice.
We think keeping the Kingsessing branch open over Cobb's Creek Branch would be a safer, popular, logical and a sounder choice even by your own standards and existing criteria! Cobb's Creek just re-open after some interior renovations. It would have made more sense to us not to re-open it, than to close Kingsessing. a more centrally located branch!
The Kingsessing branch is also central to and serves the following schools: Wilson elementary, St. Francis De Sale Catholic school, Comegys elementary school, Shaw Jr. high, Mitchell elementary school, Evelyn Graves school, Renaissance Advantage Charter school, and Richard Allen Preparatory School in which the local teachers and teachers aid, and our kids are able to walk to the Kingsessing branch, which are about a maximum seven blocks away or less. The teachers and students do this two to three times a month or more because most of these schools do not have a Library.
They certainly cannot walk to the Cobb's Creek branch or any other branch for that matter!
The Kingsessing branch services more schools than Cobb's Creek. The Kingsessing branch building is larger, the conference room at Kingsessing branch can hold nearly 100 people, and the Cobb's Creek branch cannot. We know we have a recreation center at close proximity to the Kingsessing branch, but it does not have books for homework and research or the access hours of the Kingsessing library. A book mobile is not going to cut it because it will not be there after school everyday like our library.
And with more and more jobs requiring people to fill out job applications on-line rather than in person the Kingsessing library is the only access to computers for us until the Rec. Ctr. opens. The Kingsessing Recreation Center is now utilized to its full capacity.
Adding additional responsibility to this Rec. Ctr. will be overwhelming to impossible. The Rec. Ctr. computers are in use and always packed with children playing on-line games, not studying like at the Kingsessing library. The Kingsessing Recreation center's Theater/ Conference Hall is usually booked for community or social services events. There is no room for any expansion at the Kingsessing Recreation Center at all!
There has be other tangibles involve in this decision other than your " within 2 miles walking rule or our proximity to a Rec. Center", sometimes it is about more than statistical numbers.
We believe it must and has to factor in our children's schools, safety, convenience, and capacity as foremost priorities and be a major factor in your decision too!
Southwest Philadelphia will have open only 1 library (Pascallville branch) with the closing of the Kingsessing & Eastwick branches. And even the Pascallville's branch is dilapidated and smaller compared to the Kingsessings branch.
This seems extremely unfair and illogical to the Southwest Philadelphia neighborhoods and residents.
There is a plaque hanging just inside the first set of doors to the Kingsessing library that says "This building was given to the City of Philadelphia by Andrew Carnegie ESQ. to be used forever as the Kingsessing Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia MCMXVIII" that has to be some kind of Trust Violations or Breach of Contract! And that building should NOT be used for anything else but a library.
This library branch (Kingsessing) is so vital to our low income neighborhood; with most people with limited income, that owning a computer is unaffordable, and resources like a car is a far off dream. This is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the City of Philadelphia!
Lastly, if the Kingsessing Building, 90 years in service as a library, gets to be closed and then utilize for other city services it will lost forever, and never be a library again!
Thank You
Concern Citizens
Of
Southwest Philadelphia
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Kingsessing Library Branch
Standings/Rankings in the Branch Selection Criteria
How or why was the Kingsessing Branch selected as one of the eleven for closure?
When your very own statistics certainly indicates it as a high activity, well utilized branch, even in a low income, high crime area. Below are some of statistics that were compiled from the Free Library of Philadelphia's very own documents. It shows the actual Standings/Rankings of our Library Branch, and it shows the Kingsessing Branch is in the very high rankings in most of these recorded statistics.
So we truly are having a hard time comprehending, or understanding the selection of the Kingsessing branch, with its higher usage, over some of the Philadelphia Branches with lesser activities.
• Was our selection purely geographically done, without regard for, or factoring in safety
issues
• Is it our proximity to a Recreation Center?
• Our low income/ low tax revenue area?
• Is there any other branch surrounded by so many schools as the Kingsessing Branch?
• This being an "Andrew Carnegie Branch" to be used Forever as a Library, as the now infamous Plague says. How could this building be utilized for other City services?
Yes, we are partial to the Kingsessing Branch, but anyone can see it is not in the bottom of any of your categories as far as usage is concern.
We feel at least we deserve a clearer explanation as to why our Kingsessing branch was selected over other Branches that are, according to your very own numbers, indicates that they are below that of Kingsessing!
Kingsessing's Circulations Numbers
2006 – 24,235, 2007- 37,921, 2008 – 48,962
Registrations Numbers
2006 – 5,785, 2007 – 5,799, 2008 – 6,101
Turnstile Count
2006 – 64,876, 2007 – 87,332, 2008 – 109,065 -----17th out of the 52 Recorded Branches
Computer Usage
2006 – 10,680, 2007 – 16,012, 2008 – 16,464 -------13th out of the 50 Branches Listed
Turnover rate
Kingsessing – 1.58 --------28th out of the 53 Branches Listed
As you can see by these numbers, this is the reason we are seeking a Reason/Explanation
for our beloved Kingsessing branch being selected for closure!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The CQ definitely looks like the place to go when the government starts discussing green energy and how it might effect plumbing and plumbing services such as , such as what kind of bonding agent and material we will be able to use in Northport Fl.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
this is an excellent article thanks.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Excellent article. I will keep my eye on CQ. is what I like to do.
Thanks
Jason
Monday, June 8, 2009
SAVE USA
http://www.Facebook.com/SAVEUSA
Sunday, August 7, 2011
I am "OUTRAGED" that Phila Mayor Nutter & Police
continue to try and cover up murder, kidnapping and corruption! Liberty and Justice For All!!! JUSTICE FOR MILLS FAMILY http://www.Facebook.com/JusticeForMillsFamily
Thursday, September 1, 2011
I am also "OUTRAGED" that Phila Mayor Nutter & Police continue to try and cover up murder, kidnapping and corruption! Liberty and Justice For All!!! JUSTICE FOR MILLS FAMILY http://www.Facebook.com/JusticeForMillsFamily
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Why hasn't Phila Mayor Nutter & Police helped Richard Mills? Many continue to try and cover up murder, kidnapping and corruption! Liberty and Justice For All!!! JUSTICE FOR MILLS FAMILY http://www.Facebook.com/JusticeForMillsFamily
Sunday, September 4, 2011
"HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE"
http://www.TabsOnObama.org
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
SAVE USA!
http://www.Facebook.com/SAVEUSA
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
"BLAME OBAMA NOT BUSH"
TABS ON OBAMA
http://www.TabsOnOBAMA.org
Friday, September 30, 2011
"HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE".
TABS ON OBAMA - See Reports To Cabinet
http://www.TabsOnOBAMA.org
Monday, October 3, 2011
SAVE USA http://www.Facebook.com/SAVEUSA
Saturday, October 8, 2011
"HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE"
http://www.TabsOnObama.org
Friday, October 28, 2011
MAYOR NUTTER ISSUE OR COMPLAINTS
TABSOn NUTTER
FACEBOOK SEARCH: TabsOnNutter@AOL.com
Saturday, October 29, 2011
SAVE USA
http://www.Facebook.com/SAVEUSA
Saturday, November 5, 2011
SAVE USA & PHILADELPHIA
http://www.Facebook.com/SAVEUSA
Saturday, November 26, 2011
SAVE USA
http://www.Facebook.com/SAVEUSA
Friday, December 9, 2011