QuestionPoint Members
1,975 Active SUPs (service unit profiles)
1,311 SUPs in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative
29 Languages can be handled by QuestionPoint libraries
6,566,478 Transactions have been received by QP libraries since 2002 (as of March 31)
3,007,297 Patrons have asked questions via libraries with QP since 2002*
40,841 Newpatrons have asked for help via QP libraries' websites in March*
23,992 Active records in the Global Knowledge Base
517 Libraries have contributed active, searchable records to the GKB
*These numbers are lower than actual, as they do not include texting patrons or chat patrons who have not provided email addresses.
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QuestionPoint libraries are now in 32 countries (listed by region):
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Australia New Zealand --------------- China French Polynesia Japan India Thailand -------------- United Arab Emirates ---------------- Botswana South Africa -------------- France Greece Germany Italy The Netherlands Spain -------------- Republic of Ireland |
United Kingdom England Scotland Wales --------------------- Croatia Serbia Slovenia --------------- Russia ------------- Canada Mexico United States ----------------- Jamaica Martinique Puerto Rico Trinidad & Tabago -------------------- Chile Colombia Peru |
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QuestionPoint Statistics for March 2011
54,113 Questions received via E-mail and Text Messages
60,591 Chat sessions requested
17,078 Chat sessions requested via Qwidget
58,217 Chat sessions accepted
11,375 Chat sessions requested at non-24/7 Reference Cooperative libraries
894 Sessions requested after hours at non-24/7 Reference Cooperative libraries
78 Most concurrent chat sessions (up slightly from 74 last month)
29 Average concurrent chat sessions (same as last month)
24/7 Reference Cooperative Statistics
65% Overall “Answering Percentage.” Again this month, Cooperative libraries picked up 65% of all chat sessions, and Back Up staff picked up 31.98%, for a total of 96.98% pick-up. See Sessions Abandoned, below.
17,257 Academic sessions requested; Academic members answered 11,588 (67.71%)
29,585 Public sessions requested; Public members answered 18,929 (64%)
919 Sessions Abandoned (Patron disconnected before librarian picked up, may include some practice sessions)
March Questions of Note
In March, 49 French-language records were activated in the Global Knowledge Base, 47 Spanish-language records, 43 English-language, 1 German-, and 1 Welsh-language.
From the New York Public Library comes this king of all trivia questions. Kudos to the librarian who worked on this one! Note especially the anecdote, a P.S., at the very end. To read more about this "solution," search weight manhattan hoax in the search box in the left margin of this blog.
Q: I want an estimate of the total weight of all the buildings on Manhattan. I have been trying to find the answer to this question, employing several resources. The response is generally that the question is very interesting, but the respondent admits not knowing the answer or where it might be found.
A: There are any number of ways to go about trying to answer this question, starting of course, with researching how many buildings there are in Manhattan, and what their height is and what type of building they are (for as you know, weight can vary widely depending on the building material used).
The total number of buildings in Manhattan can be found online via this Web page from the The New York City Area Consortium for Earthquake Loss Mitigation (NYCEM):
http://www.nycem.org/techdocs/FinalReport/14-3damagemanhattan.pdf
Given these figures, we calculate a total of 34,938 buildings in Manhattan. However, we don't know how many floors there are per building or what the breakdown is of building materials used.
Here's a chart describing "BUILDING TYPES IN MANHATTAN NEIGHBORHOODS":
http://www.nycem.org/techdocs/FinalReport/14-2manhattanhood.pdf
Unreinforced masonry - 29,352 buildings
Wood - 106 buildings
Steel - 4,809 buildings
reinforced concrete - 2,885 buildings
However, not knowing the number of floors, and the floor area of each floor, it's hard to estimate the weight.
One source that might help find that information is The New York City Map Portal, which, "... provides you with access to New York City data and NYC.gov applications with address level data and maps. ...":
http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap . . . .
Digital geographic base map files of New York City are available for downloading or licensing through the BYTES of the BIG APPLE project, maintained by the Geographic Systems Section of The Department of City Planning's Information Technology Division. These maps include a breakdown of land use for tax lots. More information on these maps can be found at:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/meta_cog_lots.shtml
. . . .
With the help of a geologist you could also try using a gravimeter to determine the total mass of Manhattan's buildings (probably including the mass of furnishings, papers, people, pets, and etc.), and from there multiply by 32 feet per second squared:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravimeter
One last suggestion, admittedly somewhat impractical, is to try placing a very large scale underneath Manhattan. . . .
PS - here's one story (probably fiction) about a group of New York residents who back in the 1820's were concerned about the dangerous weight of Manhattan's buildings:
http://www.snopes.com/history/hoaxes/sawingny.asp
"... A rumor had started to spread through this and several other neighborhoods that the tip of Manhattan Island was sinking into the ocean. For proof, all one had to do was take a look down at the Battery and see how that end of the island dipped down into the water. Clearly, the weight of all of the buildings that had been constructed there was the culprit. ...
The best proposal that anyone had at the time was to saw off the end of Manhattan at Kingsbridge, which is located at the northern end of the island. The land would then be rowed out to sea, spun around, and then towed back in. The heavy end would then be located closer to the mainland and new zoning laws would be passed to prevent further development on the lighter end of the island. ..."
The Mexican University of Montemorelos contributed this Q&A, regarding violence in young couples. The answer is a virtual bibliography of journal articles, for the Spanish-speaking user.
Q: Necesito unos artículos sobre la violencia en parejas jovenes
A: 1.Aproximación empírica a la agenda oculta en el campo de la violencia en la pareja. (Spanish)
/ Empirical approach to hidden agenda in the field of couple violence. (English) Intervencion Psicosocial, 2004, Vol. 13 Issue 2, p219-230, 12p; Language: Spanish; (AN 26305838)
Database: Fuente Académica
2.Desarrollo de un inventario para evaluar el abuso psicológico en las relaciones de pareja. (Spanish)Full Text Available / Development of an inventory to assess psychological abuse among people living together. (English) By: CALVETE, ESTHER; CORRAL, SUSANA; ESTÉVEZ, ANA. Clinica y Salud, 2005, Vol. 16 Issue 3, p203-221, 19p; Language: Spanish; (AN 20872907)
Database: Fuente Académica
3.Divorcio y violencia de pareja. (Spanish)
By: Bonilla, Nora Garita. Revista de Historia de América, jul-dic2004 Issue 135, p128-130, 3p; Language: Spanish; (AN 23681998)
Database: Fuente Académica
4.Estudio confirmatorio acerca de la frecuencia y percepción de la violencia: El VIDOFyP como instrumento de evaluación y algunas reflexiones psicosociales. (Spanish)Full Text Available / Confirmatory study about the frequency and perception of the violence: The VIDOFyP like an evaluation instrument and some psychosocial reflections. (English) By: Trujano, P.; Nava, C.; Tejeda, E.; Gutiérrez, S.. Intervencion Psicosocial, 2006, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p95-110, 16p; Language: Spanish; (AN 23821391)
Database: Fuente Académica
5.La formación de los/as profesionales de la salud para afrontar la violencia contra las mujeres en la pareja. (Spanish)Full Text Available / How to train health professionals to deal with domestic violence. (English) By: FERRER PÉREZ, VICTORIA A.; FIOL, ESPERANZA BOSCH; PALMER, Ma. CARMEN RAMIS. Clinica y Salud, 2008, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p59-81, 23p, 11 charts; Language: Spanish; (AN 34617818)
Database: Fuente Académica
6.La violencia de Género contra la mujer en la relación de pareja. (Spanish)
By: Labadí, Marlene Ayala; Castillo, Ileana Alea. Santiago, 2006 Issue 108, p287-299, 13p, 1 diagram; Language: Spanish; (AN 27630845)
Database: Fuente Académica . . . . [Search the Global Knowledge Base for 8 additional citations.]
See the following for an excellent, balanced answer, from a library in Scotland.
Q: How is barley turned into pearl barley?
A: According to the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' "Pearl barley, the most popular form in many parts of the world, consists of whole kernels from which the outer husk and part of the bran layer have been removed by a polishing process." 'Britannica' also explains "pearl barley (skins removed by emery friction) is used in various cooked foods."
According to Christine Ingram in 'The World Encyclopaedia of Cooking Ingredients' pearl barley is husked, steamed and polished (page306).
Oregon State University has a useful website which discusses methods of removing the husk in which they describe vigorous mechanical abrasion as a method that results in “pearled” barley.
For further in-depth information on pearl barley I would recommend reading books on the topic of cereal technology. Particular titles which may be worth accessing with the help of your local library include: Technology of Cereals: an introduction to food science and agriculture by Norman Leslie Kent (1994) p. 163. This book gives more detailed information on the treatment of the barley grain.
Finally, from La Bibliothèque publique d'information comes this question and answer pair:
Q:A Rome on trouve dans les églises la phrase "Unum ex septem altar". A quoi cela correspond-t-il? De quels autels s'agit-il? Qu'est-ce que cette expression a de particulier? [An apparent reference to seven churches in Rome one can visit, in sequence, on a pilgrimage.]
A: En utilisant un moteur de recherches, nous avons trouvé une réponse (en langue anglaise) à votre question :
http://psallitesapienter.blogspot.com/2009/09/query.html
Voici également un article consacré à "L’autel : fonctions, formes et éléments"
In Situ n°1 - 2001
disponible à l'adresse :
http://www.insitu.culture.fr/article.xsp?numero=1&id_articl
e=jp001-396
dont nous avons tiré ces quelques lignes :
"Autel ayant le privilège des sept autels, g. n. m.
Autel [85] unique ou ensemble de sept autels privilégiés, auquel sont attachés les mêmes privilèges que ceux accordés aux personnes qui visitent successivement les sept principales églises de Rome. L’autel ayant ce privilège porte alors souvent l’inscription sur la frise du retable : Unum ex septem ou Unum ex VII altaribus[86]."
Thanks to the contributing libraries and the editors for making this information available for all to use.
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