Libraries Change Lives - Online Databases
Von Sheridan’s hobby is fixing up cars. He has worked on a 1978 Trans Am and a 1978 Formula, and has also repaired his family’s cars when possible. Recently his daughter was in an accident; fortunately she wasn’t injured, but the car was nearly totaled. Rather than paying expensive car repair bills through a service department, Von repaired the car himself. This summer Von was working on a 1997 Ford Taurus and he realized that what he needed to continue was a wiring diagram of the car’s sound system. His neighbor had once told him that the library had Chilton car repair manuals, and although he hadn’t stepped foot in the library for years, he decided to go and try to find the Chilton manual for the 1997 Taurus.
After getting a library card, Von went upstairs to ask for help in finding the car repair manuals. The librarian told him that she would show him the Chilton’s, but first she wanted to show him an online reference center of car repair manuals that he could access from his home computer. She took him to the library’s homepage www.RochesterPublicLibrary.org and clicked on the “Reference and Magazines” tab, then clicked on the links “Subject list of research databases” and “How To.” “Auto Repair Reference Center - Ebsco” was at the top of the page. After logging on with his library card number and PIN she chose the year, make and model of the car and then chose “diagrams” and “sound system.” This brought up the sound system wiring diagram, the very kernel of information that Von needed to continue his repair work. He was amazed. She printed it out and gave it to him.
The librarian asked, “Now, would you like me to show you where the car repair manuals are shelved?”
“No thanks,” said Von, “You’ve just showed me everything I need for this and future projects!” Von was very pleased. That trip to the library changed his life!
The library website has a treasure trove of information that is always just a few clicks away. There are genealogy databases, study guides for test taking and learning Spanish, thousands of subscription newspaper and magazine articles and business databases such as directories and investment data. Go to www.RochesterPublicLibrary.org, click on the “Reference and Magazine” tab for a subject list or an alphabeticized list. Something there might just change your life or at least make it easier or more enriched.
