Blog Posts by Subject: Reference

We've rounded up some tricky word pairs and their definitions, adding sentences to help you remember the distinctions. Join in the fun by commenting with your own mnemonic sentences that include these words.

In the early American West, the lawman might be a U.S. marshal, appointed by the Attorney General, or he might be a local sheriff elected to office by the townfolk. The distinction often makes no difference in old Western movies, but is an optimum detail in the pursuit of genealogy and local history research in the Milstein Division, where reference librarians must wrangle between the local, county, state, and federal levels in order to rope in relevant resources for patron requests.

American National Biography is a record of the men and women whose lives helped shape the United States—from Christopher Columbus to Addie Wyatt. The online version of ANB was released in 2000 and is updated every April and October with new entries and revisions to existing profiles.

Let Ask NYPL librarian that for you.

If you're wearing glasses or contact lenses while reading this, take a look at these eye-opening resources.

Historical newspapers are useful tools for history and genealogy research. They can be searched for ancestors’ death notices/obituaries, personal announcements and celebrations, community involvement, social news and gossip, lodge and club news, employment ads, real estate transactions, legal notices, casualty lists, military news, criminal activity, and much more.

Can I tell you how to get to Sesame Street? Well, I can try. You can get to the Sesame Street Subway Stop by the A, B, 1, or 2 trains, which if you check any MTA map, do not intersect at any current station.

Researchers commonly seek photographs of places in New York as they once existed in history. HistoryPin.com and WhatWasThere.Com have done admirable work in placing historic photos in their geographic context, however they represent but a fraction of available photos, and associated descriptive metadata can vary in accuracy and precision.

How did you learn how to clean? I guess my parents taught me, and after a few years of chores it just became second nature. Don't mix ammonia and bleach. Sort laundry into light and dark colors. Sweep first before mopping. Make the bed!

Although we may not know for sure that a certain artist consulted a certain manual, they provide important clues. In a way, these books tell a story about the history of art from the point of view of the practitioners.

Several branches throughout the three boroughs have special collections that focus on local history or are of special interest to their respective communities.

A.T. Stewart opened New York City’s first department store in 1846. New Yorkers flocked to the palazzo style “Marble Palace," on Broadway between Chambers and Reade Street to browse through a wide array of merchandise arranged by department.

Gaining understanding into the nature and condition of our health, including concepts particular to one's illness can be the best tool in addressing and coping with any medical condition.

We were lucky to have Gary Price present a workshop at the Library on keeping up with the latest technological developments. On some level, I knew that there were portions of the Internet that were only accessible if you know the URL. However, I was not well versed on the exact differences between the web and the Internet and exactly how search engines work before I read this book. In fact, a family member recently launched a web site for his wedding that is only accessible for users who have a user name and password. Even if other people accidentally happened upon the web site, they would 

Want to find out what criteria mental health professionals use to diagnose mental disorders? Here are a few conditions and disorders (complete with classification numbers) that are either new in this edition of the DSM, or that I had not heard of prior to perusing this fascinating tome.

Whether you come to The New York Public Library looking for something good to read or to find that missing bit of information you needed, we hope you were able to find what you were looking for in 2013. We're always here to help, and we hope to see you again next year!

Researching a quotation can be fun, but it's not always easy and many times may require some serious digging. This post can serve as a useful starting point for anyone seeking to research a quotation or find the source of a quotation.

PSSSTT! Let me let you in on a little librarian research secret: finding information at branches and online isn't hard (anyone can do it). In fact, in this digital age of online databases, Google and Wikipedia we are on information overload. We are surrounded by too much information actually. So how do librarians research? What do we know that you don't?

Well, we know how to evaluate information, dissect it, analyze it, reassemble it and put it to use effectively. One way to do this is through the "

If you have an orphan in your family tree, you may have to go through additional steps to find relevant genealogical records for the orphaned or adopted ancestor. Orphans originating in New York City are not uncommon because of the city's history with the Orphan Train movement.

From the 1850s to the 1920s, the Orphan Train Movement was an organized effort to transport children from overcrowded cities, such as New York City, to foster homes across the country. An estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or