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Collections


THE FICTION COLLECTION

The Worcester Public Library’s extensive Fiction collection includes both popular contemporary works and traditional classic literature. The general fiction titles, indicated by FICTION in the call number, make up a majority of the collection.

There are also Special Genre Collections as well:

· The Mystery collection, indicated by the MYSTERY in the call number contains works by both classic and contemporary mystery writers like Arthur Conan Doyle or Robert Parker. In the Mystery section paperbacks and hardcover books are shelved separately.

· The Science-Fiction/Fantasy collection, indicated by SCI-FI in the call number, includes futurist and sword and sorcery stories by authors like Isaac Asimov and Robert Jordan, as well as the major series, Star Wars and Star Trek, that are shelved separately under the series title.

· The Thriller collection, indicated by THRILL in the call number, includes action-driven suspense stories written by such authors as John Grisham, Stephen King, James Patterson and Robin Cook.

· The Western collection, indicated by WESTERN in the call number, includes old fashion cowboy stories written by authors like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour. They are shelved at the end the Large Type collection.

· The Collections of short stories, indicated by the word COLLECT in the call number, includes anthologies of stories by many different authors. They are shelved on the end wall of Fiction. Books of short stories by only one author are shelved with the author’s other works.

· The Romance collection, indicated by the word ROMANCE in the call number, includes contemporary and historical romances and romantic suspense. These books, which include works by Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts and Barbara Delinsky are shelved in the Large Type area.

· The Large Type collection, indicated by LT in the call number, includes works in all genres. Within this very extensive collection there is a separate section for MYSTERY. ROMANCE titles, both LT and regular print, are also shelved in this area .

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AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS

The Library’s audiovisual collection, located on the 1st floor, includes materials in the following popular formats:

· Music cassettes and CDs include both vocal and instrumental in classical, folk, pop, rock or jazz genres.

· Audio Books or Books on Tape, include both popular and classic fiction and non-fiction titles.

· VHS and DVD films include contemporary and classical films and films in non-English languages.

· Non-fiction VHS and DVDs cover the same subject areas as the book collection.

· Language learning sets are located with the 400’s books on the 2nd floor.

· ESL & Literacy multimedia sets are located in the ESLL area in the International Languages on the 1st floor.

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BUSINESS RESOURCES

The Library’s business reference collection, serving the business community, individual entrepreneurs, private investors and students, includes:

· General directories (current and historical):
Thomas' Register, Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Directory, Standard & Poor's Corporate Records and Mergent/Moody's Manuals

· Specialized industry directories:
Best Insurance, Thomas' Food Industry and technology directories

· Geographically focused company directories:
Massachusetts, national and international

· Guides for various business topics:
Importing and exporting, venture capital, management, personnel

· Investor resources include:
Value Line, Morningstar, International Directory of Company Histories

· Federal business related documents include:
Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce publications and economic census data

· Electronic resources include:

· Reference USA, a database of over 12 million U.S. companies.
· InfoTrac Business File including reports on public companies and indexing thousands of full-text articles in business magazines and newspapers, and remotely accessible at http://www.worcpublib.org

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CAREER AND CONTINUING EDUCATION INFORMATION

The Library maintains a collection of college and scholarship information in the “Career and Continuing Education” area on the 2nd floor.

· College and continuing education resources include:

· General directories of four-year, community, junior and technical colleges and study abroad programs
· Directories of distance learning programs; web-based and mail
· Subject directories for those interested in arts, business, medicine etc.
· Directories for specific minority groups.

· Financial aid resources include:

· Guides for general scholarships and loans
· Guides for financial aid for specific groups--ethnic, gender and disability based
· Guides for financial aid for athletes, international students, adults etc.

· Circulating materials are available on the college search and application process including current copies of college directories.

· Study guides for college and career examinations both in paper and On-line at LearnATest (http://www.worcpublib.org).

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ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) & LITERACY RESOURCES

These special resources are located on the first floor of the Library in the International Languages area.

· ESL resources include:

· AV materials and books to help the TOEFL student achieve English language proficiency in both reading and listening
· Stepped series on learning English from specific languages

· Links to Literacy resources, supporting both ESL and English-speaking Literacy students, include:

· Books and cassettes from very easy reading to more difficult reading and listening levels
· Readings and workbooks on the topics of jobs, grammar, finances, government citizenship etc.

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GRANTS RESOURCE CENTER

The Grants Resource Center, on the 3rd floor of the Library, is an affiliate of the Foundation Center in New York City. The Center has information on funding for non-profit organizations, with very limited information on grants for individuals.

· Directories of corporate, private foundations and government funding

· Materials on fundraising, non-profit management and proposal writing

· On-line and e-resources make locating funding easy and fast

· Free orientations to funding research using these paper and e-resources on the first Wednesday of each month. To pre-register call (508) 799-1655.

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INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES

The International Languages Collection reflects the needs of a Worcester’s diverse population and is a vital part of the library. Located on the 1st floor of the library near the Information Desk, this collection includes:

· More extensive number of titles in Chinese, French, German, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese languages.

· Less extensive number of titles in Albanian, Armenian, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian and Portuguese languages.

· Magazines and newspapers are available in Albanian, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Lithuanian, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

· Back issues of magazines and newspapers may be checked out.
· Back issues of newspapers and magazine are not kept.

· Films in non-English languages are shelved in the Audiovisual area.

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JOB AND CAREER INFORMATION

Job seekers, people changing careers or reentering the workforce will find resources to make their transition faster and easier and career resources to help identify occupations that fit their skills and interests.

· Find and apply for jobs on the library’s computers via the Internet.
Web links: http://www.worcpublib.org

· Take occupational tests on line: http://www.worcpublib.org

· Read books on job searching, writing resumes, interviewing skills, making career choices or starting up a business.

· Continue your education and look for scholarships or loans in the Education & Career Center.

· Newspapers: Access job ads in New England & across the U.S.

· Business information: Research companies and businesses in New England, the U.S. and worldwide.

· Computers: Access to Microsoft Word and other Office products
useful to write or update your resume

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MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS

The Library’s collection of over 400 magazines and over 50 newspapers can be found in the Periodicals area on the 3rd floor.

Magazines holdings include:

· Non-circulating magazines

· Current issues are on display in the Periodicals area.
· Earlier issues may be requested at the Periodicals desk.
· 19th and early 20th C magazines may be requested at the Periodicals Desk.

· Circulating magazines that may be checked out:

· Selected popular magazines – on display in the 1st floor AV area
· Circulating large-type (LT) magazines - on display in the LT Fiction area on the 1st floor
· Non-English language magazines - on display in the International Languages area on the 1st floor. (Current issues do not circulate)

Newspaper holdings include:

· Sunday papers: from New England capital cities and major US cities

· Daily newspapers: Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal.

· Non-English language newspapers:

· On display in the International Languages area on the 1st floor
· Previous issued may be checked out

· Some Worcester County town newspapers are located in the Local History and Genealogy area on the 3rd floor

On-line magazines and newspapers:

· Magazines from 1980’s on : Infotrac- http://www.worcpublib.org

· Newspapers, full text, from 1989: Newsbankhttp://www.worcpublib.org
(Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Boston Herald, Boston Globe)

Indexes provide subject access to over 500 magazines and newspapers:

· Infotrac indexes articles in hundreds of magazines and journals

· Print indexes: 19th & 20th Century subject access to magazines
Business, Art, Applied Science, Library Literature, Reader’s Guide

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U.S. GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS COLLECTION

Worcester Public Library is the largest selective depository of Federal documents in Central Massachusetts. Many documents are incorporated into the general collection and some are available on-line. Inquire at the second floor desk.

· Paper documents from the 1800’s to the present

· Multimedia format documents: CD’s, microforms

· Indexes: Paper from the 1800’s, Marcive online index 1989.

· Census :

· Federal statistical census (1790 to present)
· Manuscript census (Massachusetts from 1790 to 1930)

· Congressional proceedings and laws: Federal Register, Congressional Record, U.S. Code, Code of Federal Regulations.

· Commerce: Commerce Business Daily, National Trade Data Base, U.S. Exports and Imports online

· Historical: Civil War records, Native American studies

· Publications: on taxes, statistics, health, Social Security, the environment.

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