BGI Reference Desk

Somalia cabinet officers

A Hennepin County Library patron looking for information on Somalia is being referred to us and may call or send e-mail - this is an alert with a bit of information. He is looking for the names of Somali cabinet ministers from 1960-2000 - he has found later ones. He is well aware that for quite a while after 1991 there was no Somali government. I have found back to 1973 in Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments (PrEx 3.11/2: ). For periods when there is no government it says so. This publication is monthly, then bi-monthly from 1986. We have some in paper, some fiche. We have 1973-85 in storage, and I did tell HCL we needed 24 hours notice to get those. There are several issues of Background Notes, but none for years not also covered above. Our earliest Area Handbook is 1977, although there apparently was one in 1969. It gives a history of the government but not names.

I have not fully explored resources for 1960-73. If he calls, someone will want to do that too.

Julie

Updated LexisNexis Congressional Guide

I've updated the LN Congressional guide to reflect the new interface. It's not a step-by-step user guide to every part of the database. Instead I've provided a basic introduction, coverage chart and highlighted potentially problematic aspects of the database. in general, the change is an improvement. But there are definitely some quirks, so please take a look through http://govpubs.lib.umn.edu/guides/congcomp.phtml, especially if you can't get to the training next week.

Also, patrons will need to be directed to Fillmore to use it for the time being because all the public terminals are blocking popups and so users can't get to the Help.

--Amy

Printing *.pdf files

When you open a .pdf file, you're really opening the file and the program that allows you to view it. As a result, you actually have 1 document and 2 programs open at once. The print options that you choose are specific to the program that they're in. Therefore use the Adobe Toolbar Print function instead of the browser's Print function to print Adobe *.pdf files.

Note: if you only want to print some pages in a *.pdf file keep in mind that the numbering of a *.pdf file's pages may vary from the page numbers printed on the pages themselves. This usually results when there are title, acknowledgement and table of contents pages which are unnumbered in the original, but get numbered in the *.pdf version.

Troubleshooting:
If you're having big black dots show up on your printouts, try "Print As Image" on the Print dialog box:

Installing CD/DVDs

This guide covers the rules of thumb about installing CDs that have emerged from GPL's experience managing a large and varied CD collection. These rules should give readers a pretty good idea of what to expect from an interaction with a CD, but don't forget: Murphy's Law is still in force just as much as it ever has been...

Autorun
Current CDs (from the late 1990s forward) typically have a program called an "autorun.exe" or a file called "autorun.inf". That means that when you put it in the drive for the first time, it will automatically start up. Usually, autorun files start up an installation procedure. See the image below for an example.

Setup.exe
All CDs have a special file that starts the installation procedure. The names for these files are pretty standard, with install.exe and setup.exe being used almost exclusively. The ".exe" stands for "executable", as in a file that executes commands. In the Windows Explorer, these files are labeled "Application" in the the Type column. See the image below for an example.

Readme.xxx
The common name for the "all the stuff we learned too late to incorporate properly".xxx file is the Readme.txt. Like the setup files mentioned above, these describe the program, installation, known bugs, changes from prior editions, and sometimes brief user guides. These files are always worth reading if you're having trouble with a CD. See the image below for an example.

Notes:

1. When installing, you must always answer a series of questions about how much to load, where to put the new program and so forth. Newer CDs (roughly 1995 forward) usually have default answers programmed into their installation that will work just fine. When you're dealing with a CD that's new to you, don't worry about this part. Read the questions and answers, but go on and enter your way past them. If the installation program doesn't have suggested defaults, it's always ok to install a program into the C:\temp directory. The program can be moved later if necessary.

2. CD installation generally goes perfectly well or not at all. If it doesn't work and the reason isn't obvious, that means that the problem lies in the CD and not the user. If a tech support contact is listed somewhere on the case insert, contact them or ask the department e-resources coordinator to do it.

3. Not every CD needs to be installed. Many CDs are just collections of .pdf pages which need only Acrobat to read them, so there's nothing to install. There are also a few statistical CDs that contain no retrieval software and whose contents must be accessed through something like MSExcel.