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By Credo Reference, on May 29th, 2009
 Are you keen on sport? This week’s brainteaser is about all kinds of sports and games.
1. The Harlem Globetrotters are famous for which sport?
2. What colour is the jersey worn by the leader after each stage of the “Tour de France” cycle race?
3. In which sport is the America’s Cup awarded?
4. For which sport are Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo famous?
5. What is the normal length of the table in table tennis: eight, nine or ten feet?
6. In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to do what?
7. In billiards and pool, what colour is the “cue ball”?
8. Was the motor-racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi born in France, Italy or Brazil?
9. Is “langlauf” another name for figure-skating, marathon-running, or cross-country skiing?
10. In croquet, what is a “rover”?
Find the answers here.
Image “The American National Game of Baseball – Grand Match at Elysian Fields, Hoboken, NJ, 1866″, by N. Currier. Find out more about it on Credo Reference.
By Credo Reference, on May 27th, 2009
Boston and Oxford, May 27, 2009 – Credo Reference, provider of customizable online reference collections, is pleased to announce a Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) with the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK), to provide its online service to participating US federal libraries at a discount (Credo Reference Service ID: CD; BOA LC09G7107, subject to renewal, for the period ending 9/30/2013).
FEDLINK acts as a purchasing and resource-sharing consortium for federal libraries and information centers. With this new agreement, participating institutions are eligible for discounted pricing on subscriptions to Credo’s vast collection of cross-searchable entries, all on one innovative and enhanced interface that also provides seamless searching from Credo into other library resources.
Credo Reference, with over three million cross-referenced entries from over 415 titles and 63 publishers, has been recognized throughout the market with starred reviews, awards and other kudos for providing great value to libraries of every kind. Described as an “expert tool for any library,” the service was recently included in both Library Journal’s “Best of Reference 2008” feature and the prestigious annual New York Library Association’s (NYLA) “Best of Reference 2008” list. Credo also earned the highest scores of all the resources evaluated in Library Journal’s 2009 E-Reference Ratings and was the only one of the 193 resources that received four-star ratings in every category.
“We are pleased to partner with FEDLINK to provide Credo’s award-winning reference collection to their members,” commented Mike Sweet, Credo CEO. “FEDLINK members will be delighted with the comprehensive and credible content and enhanced research opportunities provided by Credo Reference. In this time of finding ways to do more with less, we know that Credo Reference can provide access to valuable reference content at a reasonable cost. We’re happy to welcome FEDLINK to our Credo family.”
For information on FEDLINK’s offerings, visit: http://www.loc.gov/flicc/allsvc.html
By Credo Reference, on May 22nd, 2009
 We recently had a brainteaser about the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean contains a large number of islands, which are the subject of this new brainteaser.
1. Is Nicosia the capital of Crete, Cyprus or Malta?
2. What is the largest island in the Mediterranean?
3. Name one of the three chief Balearic Islands.
4. Most of the Aegean Islands are part of which country?
5. Are the Corsicans French, Italian or Spanish citizens?
6. Sardegna is the Italian name for which Mediterranean island?
7. On which Greek island was there a 30-meter high bronze statue called a Colossus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which was destroyed in an earthquake?
8. Which republic in the Mediterranean includes the islands of Gozo and Comino?
9. Which island group between Turkey and Crete has a name which means “12 islands”?
10. Which volcano in the Lipari islands is known as the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean”?
Find the answers here.
Image “Mediterranean Castle under Siege from the Turks”, by Jan Peeters, courtesy of Credo Reference. Find out more about this image here.
By Pete Ciuffetti, on May 18th, 2009
 Earlier this year Credo Reference challenged its employees with a ‘Be Good, Do Good‘ program. Essentially the plan suggests we get off our butts and if we do something good for our health, anything almost, they’ll pitch in and donate to a cause of our choice.
My job involves sitting in front of a computer all day wondering how they work. This burns almost no calories. My closet is full of stuff that no longer fits.
The ‘Be Good, Do Good’ program is actually a follow-on to a longer running program at work called ‘Let’s Cook & Eat Goodies‘. Various really skilled bakers vying for culinary supremacy are constantly leaving piles of homemade tollhouse cookies, brownies and cupcakes in the office kitchen. I am unable to resist.
The combination of being immobilized for most of the work day, getting up only to grab yet another brownie, was too much. The Be Good, Do Good program was a possible way to combat its more sinister companion.
So I committed to bike to the office in Boston from my home in Concord—about 25 miles each way—once a week for the whole summer. And, since my wife Betsy has MS, I chose the 150-mile MS Cape Cod Bike Ride as my cause. My own monetary contribution will be $210 which I will earn by not buying my July commuter rail pass, using my bike to commute each day in July instead. And Credo will be chipping in $500 too!
If you want to find out more about the Multiple Sclerosis Society, or to sponsor my ride, please go to http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/peterc
Image “Poster advertising Gladiator bicycles and motorcycles” – find out more about it on Credo Reference.
By Credo Reference, on May 15th, 2009
 This week’s brainteaser is about places of education: schools, colleges and universities – real and fictitious.
1. Cambridge is the second oldest university in England. Is this true or false?
2. What was the name of the school in the “Harry Potter” novels by J. K. Rowling, dedicated to the teaching of Magic and Wizardry?
3. What was the first college (also known as a university) established in the United States?
4. What was the name of the school in Charles Dickens’s “Nicholas Nickleby” run by Mr Wackford Squeers?
5. The Duke of Wellington is credited with saying that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of…which school?
6. In 1933, the debating society of which university passed the motion “This House will in no circumstances fight for its King and its Country”?
7. What is the name of the radical progressive school in Leiston, Suffolk, England, founded in 1921 by A. S. Neill, with no compulsory attendance at classes?
8. “Sorbonne” is the common name for the University of which city?
9. Thomas Hughes set his book “Tom Brown’s Schooldays” in a somewhat romanticized version of which school that he himself had attended?
10. In England, what kind of school was started in 1780 by Robert Raikes for factory children in Gloucester?
Find out the answers here.
Image “In the School”, courtesy of the Bridgeman Art Library Archive on Credo Reference. Find out more information about it here.
By Nancy King, on May 13th, 2009
Starting last Friday, you may have noticed that your Credo Reference search page looked a little different! We’ve made some upgrades, and added some important new features.
Search Page
Based on feedback from librarians and users, we’ve enhanced our basic search page with key new features:
1. An image-only search – Searching Credo’s 200,000+ images just got easier. From the Search page, select the Image Search tab and enter your search term to view related images. Similarly, you can access our Concept Map by clicking the Concept Search tab.
 2. A featured content section – Our Featured Content area will spotlight interesting searches and content related to current events. Featured Content will be updated regularly and remain timely. We welcome suggestions for the Featured Content area. Send your ideas to support@credoreference.com. If you prefer a simpler search interface, just click the ‘Hide’ button to collapse the Featured Content section. The section will remain hidden in your browser on subsequent visits.
3. An indication of the content you may find in Credo – The search page now includes suggestions for how to use Credo. Under ‘Use Credo Reference to find’, you can click through to our encyclopedias, dictionaries and biographical titles or get quick access to our measurements conversion tool and crossword solver.
During usability testing we found that these new features addressed needs expressed by some users yet didn’t detract from the experience of those who simply want to search directly in Credo’s content. Please do send us any feedback that you have on these new features.
 New Search Gadgets
Credo’s current Gadgets have proven very popular, and we’re pleased to announce the addition of two new gadgets:
1. Image search
2. Pronunciation search
Use the Image search to find photos, illustrations or maps. Need to know how to pronounce a term? Type your word into our Pronunciations gadget to find out.
Credo’s Gadgets are accessible from the navigation pane at the top of each page. Gadgets will open on the right side of your Credo pages. Use them to get a quick definition, lookup a person, solve your crossword puzzle and much more.
Remote Login Improvements
It’s now easier to access Credo Reference remotely! As a result of significant improvements to the remote user login process, it’s no longer necessary to physically be at a library or to find Credo through a library web site in order to access Credo’s content. Users who visit www.credoreference.com can now easily find their library and will be directed to their library’s authentication method to access Credo. For more information on these improvements, visit http://corp.credoreference.com/login_faq.
Please note: these improvements don’t affect IP-authenticated users or those who access Credo through proxy servers, Athens or Shibboleth.
By Credo Reference, on May 8th, 2009
 This week’s quiz is about the Mediterranean Sea and the countries around it.
1. Algiers is the capital of which country south of the Mediterranean sea?
2. Which canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea?
3. Is Lebanon on the northern, southern or eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea?
4. Which country, extending SE from the Alps into the Mediterranean Sea, separates the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Adriatic Sea?
5. The Mediterranean Sea is saltier than the Atlantic: true or false?
6. Which United Kingdom Overseas Territory is situated at the west entrance to the Mediterranean Sea?
7. The Hellenic Republic is the official name of which country?
8. Name the principality on the Mediterranean Sea which consists of an enclave in southeast France and which has been ruled by the Grimaldi family since the 13th century.
9. Which country bounded by the Mediterranean Sea includes the cities of Rabat and Casablanca?
10. Which country on the Mediterranean is divided into 81 ils or provinces for administrative purposes?
Find the answers here.
Image “View of a Mediterranean Port”, by Mathys Schoevaerdts. Find out more about this image on Credo Reference.
By Credo Reference, on May 6th, 2009
 Credo has added 3 new titles, and updated one additional title this week. The new titles include The Elgar Dictionary of Economic Quotations, The Elgar Companion to Consumer Research and Economics Psychology and A Handbook of Globalisation and Environmental Policy, all by Edward Elgar. The updated title is the Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms, from Barron’s Educational Series.
The Elgar Dictionary of Economic Quotations includes notable quotes about economic matters, from leaders and thinkers in the Field. This quote, on financial markets from Henry Charles Carey, is interesting:
“A money market always in perfect health and soundness would imply infallible wisdom in those who conduct its operations.”
By Credo Reference, on May 4th, 2009
 Credo Reference has recently added one new title, and updated five additional titles.
The new title is the Chambers Dictionary of Literary Characters, from Chambers Harrap. This title “provides an invaluable guide to the wealth of characters created by writers in English”. Including entries on both individual characters and on character themes, this title gives the reader deeper insight into works of literature. From the Diarists in Literature entry:
“The Most Famous Diarist – Most of what we know about Elizabeth Pepys is contained in the diary of her husband, Samuel. Throughout their often tempestuous marriage, he lusted after other women and had several affairs. For her part, Elizabeth could be flighty, flirtatious, verbally abusive and physically violent. By his own account, Samuel gave as good as he got. As Claire Tomalin, Pepys’s biographer, notes, ‘He was capable of blacking her eye, or twisting or pulling her nose, thoroughly nasty behaviour though casual violence, like a boy’s angry lashing out, rather than calculated brutality.’ For all that, Elizabeth and Samuel were very much in love and when she died in 1669, at the age of 29, he was bereft. Coincidentally, it was the same year he stopped writing his diary. He was to live another 34 years without remarrying.”
Titles that were updated include Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, The Wisden Archive of Cricketers’ Lives 2009, Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science, The New Food Lover’s Companion, and the Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography.
By Credo Reference, on May 1st, 2009
 Children
This week’s brainteaser is about famous sons and daughters or their famous parents.
1. What is the name of the US actor and producer who is the son of Kirk Douglas?
2. What was the name of the American-Indian princess who was the daughter of Powhatan and who saved the life of English adventurer John Smith?
3. The Beatles’ song “Hey Jude” was originally intended to be “Hey Jules”, referring to whose son?
4. Liza Minnelli is the daughter of which American singer and film actress?
5. Which British guitarist was prompted to write the song “Tears in Heaven” by the death of his son, Conor, in 1991?
6. Who was the father of the Indian political leader Indira Gandhi?
7. What is the title of Prince Gautama Siddhartha, son of the rajah of the Sakya tribe ruling in Kapilavastu, Nepal?
8. Svetlana Alliluyeva is the only daughter of which former Soviet Communist leader?
9. The musician Frank Zappa had four children, all with unusual names. Can you give the first names of two of his children?
10. What were the first names of William Shakespeare’s twin children?
Find the answers here.
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