A truly independent activities period

A truly independent activities period It is crunch time at MIT. Classes are over this Wednesday, and exam week starts on Monday, December 17. There are two standard responses to a stressful situation like this: fight or flight. The alternative is to combine the two: fight (by studying hard for two weeks), then flight (home for the holidays!) Many students will come back to MIT around January 7 for the start of Independent Activities Period (IAP). *Cue “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”* During IAP, students get to enjoy MIT without worrying about problem sets. Well, that’s not 100% true, there are some for-credit classes that do have tests and homework, but they’re definitely the minority. (For more about IAP, see my former entries on IAP 2007 and 2006. So what do MIT students do with one month of freedom? I’ll be working on my senior thesis project, taking a wine tasting class, hopefully making some things in the Hobby Shop, and checking things off of my “101 Things to Do Before Graduating From MIT” list. I e-mailed my sorority and asked to hear about their plans. Here’s what they said: “This IAP I was selected to participate in the January Scholars in France program, an incredible program for students who have shown a strong commitment to studying French at MIT. On January 6, I will be flown out to Paris along with 7 other MIT students. Together with an awesome professor with whom Ive taken two courses, we will spend two weeks in Paris trying out all sorts of restaurants, visiting museums, attending theatrical performances, and more, all entirely paid for by this program. Two French guides who really know the ins-and-outs of Paris have worked with this program for several years now to give the January Scholars insiders tours around certain quartiers in Paris. Im also particularly excited about this trip because a French penpal Ive been writing to since my freshman year in high school will be taking a few days off from school so we can finally meet and spend some time together in Paris. All the January Scholars will be staying in a hotel in the Latin quarter. The theme of this years program is The People of Paris, so well all spend some time on our own exploring Paris and trying to better appreciate and understand certain distinctly French characteristics that interest us. This is not a for-credit assignment, just a fun project to help enrich this amazing experience.”- Emilienne, ‘09 “Im doing the followings this IAP: week 1: Womens InitiativeAn MIT alum and I are traveling to Fredericksburg, VA to talk to middle/high school girls about female engineers. week 2: UPOPintense engineering work place skills building week3-4: UROP in Strano Lab doing researching single walled carbon nanotube complexes for solar energy conversion-synthetic analogs to natural processes. Last year, I went to LeaderShape, which was amazing and eye opening :)”- Ploy ‘10 “Im going to astronomy field camp at Lowell observatory in Flagstaff, AZ (12.411) and then backpacking through the Grand Canyon! all with course 12 (the Earth and Planetary Science department)! the entire IAP!!” â€"Jennifer ‘10 “This IAP, Im going to Tanzania with my D-Lab (an intro to Development) Team. Well be working with NGOs, orphanages, wheelchair workshops, and local villages to introduce appropriate technology to address the basic needs of low-income households. In many ways, we are working on helping developing countries by working from the bottom up. My team will be introducing the charcoal project (this process burns agricultural waste to make charcoal, which is an inexpensive way to supply cooking fuel while limiting the deforestation in Tanzania), the pedal power grinder (as maize is a major food crop, this pedal power grinder will turn a typical two-hour chore into a 10 minute process, generating a supplementary income to wheelchair manufacturers and giving more time for women to devote to other enterprises), and the universal nut sheller (this device can shell peanuts, shea nuts, coffee in large quantities, increasing the potential enterprises for local farmers).”- Jodie ‘09 “During IAP, I am taking 6.470, which is a web programming competition/class. There are 10 days of lecture in which we learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, AJAX, server-side scripting, databases, SQL, and how to put them together. For the following 7 days (and nights), we program constantly until were ready to present our final product. Besides the intensity of 6.470, I plan on taking relaxing P.E. classes like pilates and advanced swimming.”- Britni, ‘11 Tina 09 sent me these pictures that she took a few IAPs ago. They built a wooden sled and race it down the steps of 77 Massachusetts Avenue (the main entrance to MIT):

The Future Of The Human Race - 1539 Words

The future of the human race is terrifying to ponder about; not only does it raise many questions as to how the constant population growth will be handled, but it also causes natural resources to become more limited by the day. As human beings progress towards the future they will undoubtedly accomplish a myriad of feats. It is essential that one of such feats can solve the issues brought forth by the ever growing population of the human race. Furthermore, engineers must either generate new ways to sustain the increasing population, or they must develop systems to restrict the growth of population in general. It may even be possible for engineers to apply their work towards developing certain systems or technologies which can do such things as producing more clean drinking water, disposing of waste more efficiently, being more efficient with energy (such as oil and fossil fuels), etc. If present day engineers do not work quickly toward solving these problems, it could be catastrophi c. The human race is running out of the required resources to sustain the current population, let alone the future population of the Earth at this rate. The population of people on the Earth is expected to reach 8 billion by 2024 and is projected to be 10 billion by 2056. (Worldometers, 2016). As the population will increase by billions in the next few decades, the human race will not be able to sustain such essential resources as oil, coal, and many other essential resources for human survival.Show MoreRelatedThe Future Of The Human Race Essay2044 Words   |  9 PagesEng. 110-20 The Future of the Human Race: How the Benefits of a Worldwide Eugenics Program Surpass the Accompanying Issues of Morality Imagine a world, where everyone had 20/20 vision, perfect hearing, stronger immune systems, and superior intellect, in which humankind as we know it has evolved beyond the constraints of our own evolutionary process and advanced into a new species of near sci-fi proportions. Through the practice of eugenics, this seemingly distant utopian future may be anything butRead MoreGenetic Engineering : The Future Of The Human Race994 Words   |  4 PagesGenetic Engineering? No Way The future of the human race is in your hands. Though it may not feel that way in your everyday routines, the decisions you make will distinctively impact your children’s live, their children’s lives, etc. Genetic engineering is sparking questions among the human race whether or not it is the next step. Creating a test tube baby I in order for parents to conceive a child is one thing but genetically modifying the human race is against human nature. Genetic engineering shouldRead MoreMedical Technology And The Future Health Of The Human Race1354 Words   |  6 Pagesmedical technology does not yield to other complications, such as those presented in the working environment of hospitals and nursing homes. Though some may argue that medical technology is too expensive, there is no monetary value to the future health of the human race. Medical technology does not fail to increase general health, productivity in the workplace, and more importantly, save lives. According to the CDC, in 2014, almost three million people died last year from illness in the United StatesRead MoreInsight Into the Past and Present with Science Fiction 0.4 by Mike Lancester574 Words   |  3 Pagesexaggerating their subsequent consequences in the future. 0.4 by Mike Lancester is a science fiction text which evidently represents the discrimination inflicted upon the ‘inferior’ races by the more ‘superior’ races. As this aspect of discrimination has occurred in the past, such as the racism faced by Aboriginal people, Lancester gives us an insight into the past of humanity. Furthermore, by exploring the possibility of social hierarchy in the near future due to genetic enhancements, 0.4 provides anRead MoreThe Human Race : A Source Of Energy1549 Words   |  7 PagesThe human race has relied on finite resources as a source of energy since their beginning as a race on the Earth. While humans have used resources such as food in order to provide their bodies with the essential energy they need in order to survive, these sources are relatively much less finite than that of other human resources. This is because human beings are able to grow and produce their own food as they please. Sources of energy such as water on the other hand, which are relatively less finiteRead MoreIs It Even Possible?998 Words   |  4 Pages Is It Even Possible? Everyone is gone; nobody is to be found at all. The only thing left is the sounds of Mother Nature. This is what may happen to the human race if action is not taken. Many viewpoints are taken that the problem could be climate change, future technology, or a movement that is just killing off people. I think the human race is doomed because we do not realize the damage we are doing to ourselves until it is too late. The sources I have chosen have compelling information that bringsRead MoreThe Overpopulation Of The Human Race1377 Words   |  6 Pages The overpopulation of the human race is killing the earth due to the consumption of natural resources and not taking care of our planet. The human race as of the twenty-first century is similar to a parasite. Humans consume everything we can and do not help those resources grow back. The human race is also driving animals out of their habitats, taking over those habitats and in that process putting more animals on the endangered species i ndex. The human population needs to be reduced in order toRead MoreSocial Construction of Race and How It Affects Society Essay740 Words   |  3 PagesHumans define race by how they conceive and categorize different social realities. Thus, race is often referred to as a social construct. The differences in skin color and facial characteristics have led most of society to classify humans into groups instead of individuals. These constructs affect us all, and they often result in situations where majority racial groups cause undue suffering to those that are part of the minority. The understanding of race as a social construct is best illustratedRead MoreModern Humans And The Existence Of The Planet1561 Words   |  7 PagesModern humans have been on Earth for more than 200,000 years. Although many people feel that 200,000 years is a fairly long time for us to have existed as a species, it is quite the opposite. The earth is estimated to have been made 4.54 billion years ago. Lif e as we know it is estimated to have begun 4 billion years ago. When comparing the existence of the human race to the existence of the planet we live on or the existence of all forms of life, it becomes very apparent that the humans speciesRead MoreThe National Aeronautics And Space Administration1405 Words   |  6 Pagesperson, says, †Sooner or later, we must expand life beyond our little blue mud ball—or go extinct.† (â€Å"Elon Musk - Entrepreneur on the grandest scale†). If this statement about the future of the human race isn’t absolutely terrifying then a reevaluation of your major concerns is necessary because you are missing the ingrained human instinct of survival. While the impending doom of Earth and everyone on it should be an issue of the utmost importance, the voting population and Congress of the United States

Paul Volponis Black and White - 3582 Words

A brief plot summary. Give an account of the storyline. Not too many words, please! Marcus Brown and Eddie Russo are best friends and stars of the basketball team at Long Island City High School. Marcus is black and Eddie is white, and everyone call them Black and White. They’ve found strength to break through the racial barrier, or at least they believe so themselves. They are inseparable, always having each other’s backs, both on and off the basketball court. With the ability to get whatever scholarship they want, their future is looking good. Their plan is to get sports scholarship to a prestigious university and go on to play professional basketball. When the boys turn to crime, their friendship is put on the line along with the†¦show more content†¦Marcus isn’t hard to convince. They perform several successful stickups at a parking lot. Eddie holds the gun and threatens their victims, while Marcus is on the lookout. They already have enough money to pay their dues, but neither of them wants to quit. It is such an easy way to earn money, and they are tired of feeling like charity cases. Their next stickup doesn’t go according to the plan. It is Marcus’s turn to hold the gun and take care of the threatening, but he doesn’t want to because of his lack of practice. Marcus and Eddie are at their usual spot in the parking lot, and target a man coming out of a store. They don’t notice that the man is black before Eddie starts to threaten him. Before he knows it, he has shot him and the boys are running for their lives. Marcus is arrested during a game a couple of days after the incident, and he gets a publicly appointed defender. The man Eddie shot is alive. His name is Sydney Parker and he works as a bus driver on the route that runs past Marcus’s house. Parker had recognized Marcus when he looked away from Eddie pointing the gun at him. The police had given him a copy of the school yearbook, and he had picked out Marcus’s picture with ease. The police don’t have anything on Eddie, but they do know that Marcus had a partner that held the gun and shot Sydney. They keep interrogating Marcus, and try to convince him to give up his partner in exchange for a lighter sentence. Marcus refuses

Brave New World Analysis on Characters Free Essays

Brave New World Analysis on Characters â€Å"The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get†¦ they are so conditioned that they practically can’t help behaving as they ought to behave† (Huxley 198). Many people speak and dream about a perfect world, for the problems which we face in the present world to simply just go away. We will write a custom essay sample on Brave New World Analysis on Characters or any similar topic only for you Order Now Brave New World is a novel which shows an example of what life would be like in a utopian society. Read also Analysis of Characters in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† It shows the differences that civilization has against the savage world, which is how we live in present day. The characters in Brave New World all experience the controversy between nature vs nurture ultimately leading to their unhappiness. An individual can be given everything they need but yet still live unhappy. This especially can be seen with one of the main characters in Brave New World, Bernard. He was an Alpha Plus, the highest class in civilization, but unfortunately didn’t look like most Alphas (69). Despite his class, he was an outcast and spent most of his time alone. The narrator in the novel explains, â€Å"The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and aroused hostility about his physical defects†¦ which increased the sense of being alien and alone† (68). Although he had a high title it didn’t make him feel happy. He felt like there was more to life than a set routine they were all given in civilization. Bernard felt himself different; he wanted to feel emotions and not just live day by day on fake happiness. Bernard expresses his frustration to be feel different when he states, â€Å" But wouldn’t you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, for example, not in everybody else’s way† (90). Bernard was tired of being enslaved by his conditioning. The people of the New World were all taught to think, act, and see things a certain way. No individuality. Living in a controlled world doesn’t cause happiness, it just numbs people of actual feelings. Lenina is a â€Å"pneumatic girl†, very popular, and has spent a night with almost all of the men in civilization. Pleasure was key in the controlled world. She found herself wanted by men, and like most women enjoyed having sex with men. When Lenina began talking to Bernard, she didn’t agree with him on wanting more to life. She’d rather be on soma, a drug that would numb them from any true emotions, whenever she felt a little uneasy, just like everyone else. Lenina’s unhappiness comes when Bernard takes her into the Savage world and she sees how John and Linda and everyone else is living. Her immediate reaction was to find some soma. She couldn’t believe how people grew old, suffered, and had to deal with everyday problems. Lenina began falling for John and quickly realized that she wanted something specifically with him that most men couldn’t satisfy. Lenina states to her friend Fanny, â€Å"And what about a man– one man. Hes the one i want†¦ and in intervals I still like him. I shall always like him† (171). Lenina had never felt like this before, therefore she didn’t know how to handle it. The only thing she knew of about men was to have sex with them. When John rejected sleeping with her, she was completely taken by surprise. The narrator explains, â€Å" Drying her eyes†¦ she pulled out her soma bottle†¦ hers had been more than a one-gramme affliction† (157). Never being in the position, she immediately turned to soma to help her cope with what she was feeling. She has been living numb to emotion and for the first time she was forced to feel unwanted and ached for an escape. Linda was a Delta in a civilized world who went on a trip with the Director to the Savage world. Unfortunately for her she had fell and bumped her head, causing her to get lost and be taken in by Native Americans (112). The Director searched for her but was never able to find her. To her dismay she was pregnant and had a baby named John. Linda only knew how to act like a civilized person. She was very promiscuous and like the controlled world, began to sleep around with different men. This was strange to the Savage World and they then began to call her names and make her an outcast. Linda stated, â€Å"I was so ashamed. Just to think of it; me a Beta– having a baby† (114). Having John was very difficult for her. Linda had no idea how to be a mother, how to nurture, or even how to be a good role model for the child. Linda thought of how perfect her life would be if she were to return to the civilized world, returning to soma. She was willing to do whatever just to be back in the New World, â€Å"†¦ here was her appearance†¦ so the best people were quite determined not to see Linda. And Linda, had no desire to see them. The return to civilization was for her the return to soma† (142). Linda thought all her problems would be solved by going back to the controlled world, but in fact they made her even more depressed and unwanted. She had nob ody except for John and she would rather be numb and not feel anything than deal with civilization. Where would she find true happiness if in the Savage World she is discriminated for her ways, and in civilization she no longer fits in. Living in the Savage world, one can only imagine how perfect the civilized world could be. Unfortunately, having came from the savage world John had something to compare the controlled world to. Being the son to a women in the civilized world, he had heard nothing but wonders about it. On the other hand, having been raised in the Savage World allowed John to learn morals and want to find a purpose in life. When John reached the civilized world he was completely disappointed on how fake everything and everyone was. â€Å" How much I love you, Lenina†¦ or always†¦ to make a promise to live together for always† (174). John had seen his mother sleep with so many men and get teased by it that he did not want to just sleep with the women he liked. He wanted to marry and be with just that one. For Lenina this was just nonsense, and that just made John not want anything to do with her. He wanted to feel a special connection with Lenina that she had never had before. By the e nd John decides to be isolated because he would rather deal with his emotions than live in a â€Å"perfect† world numb and unhappy. Ultimately, the utopian society didn’t mean solving all problems and people forever living happy. If a civilization is all an individual knows, how is it that they still manage to be unhappy? There is no happiness when people are living numb from what is really going on. When it comes to the topic of a utopian society vs the kind of society in which we currently live in, I think there is really no solution. We are human and as much as they can try to condition human beings, there is still going to be some kind of downfall. How to cite Brave New World Analysis on Characters, Papers

Urban Legend English free essay sample

A man is driving home from the party, it was a really dark road and he was really drunk. Then he sang a sow he was singing row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream. And just a sudden; a resounding life is but a dream followed up, but its quite high- pitched. Then he laughed it out loud as he thought he has a mere imagination. On the second time he want to sing, after he sing the old McDonald had a farm and until that he suddenly get distracted by the radio hat announce that all area around IBM Road should be careful as a homicide just happened by a psychopath woman.Suddenly theres somebody singing AAA, AAA, 00. He frozen in a second, he noticed a very bad smell, a blood smell. By the time he was conscious, without delay he opened the car door but at the same time it was all too late, a long sharp metallic pole had penetrate through his head rest and frontal cortex. We will write a custom essay sample on Urban Legend English or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Forsythia, a melodious rhythm was sang; and on his car there was a man, AAA, AAA, o and there was no sound because hes dead AAA, AAA, 00

Clinical psychology essay part 2

Clinical psychology essay part 2 Clinical psychology essay part 2 Clinical psychology essay part 2Clinical psychology   essay part  1Neuropsychological Testing in the Diagnosis of Dementia.According to the article, neuropsychological tests that focus on the domain of memory impairment are well established with recognized predictive value for dementia diagnoses. What other neuropsychological domains does the author feel are important in dementia diagnoses despite the existence of only a limited number of tools to assess them?Neuropsychological testing proved to be effective for the diagnosis of dementia at its early stage, as it is especially important to recognize the first signs of the disease. The most common diagnosis of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease that is characterized by memory impairment. Neuropsychological tests are effective for assessing this domain and detecting the memory deficit at an early stage of the dementia development. However, other neuropsychological domains are harder to assess as there are fewer tools for their observation.Among other neuropsychological domains mentioned in the article by Mary Sano are executive function and pathophysiological deficits. In order to assess these domains, new technologies and better tools are required. Thus, among the new technologies functional imaging can be mentioned. Improved tools for assessing special cognitive domains might help in identifying a wider range of various cognitive deficits at early stages of the dementia development. However, the author of the article made it clear that neuropsychological testing is an effective tool of detecting cognitive deficits in elderly people and patients who suffer from dementia. Such method proved to be an effective clinical utility, even though there is a need for better assessment tools when investigating other domains such as executive function.In such a way, neuropsychological testing cannot be applied when assessing domains other than memory impairment. And it is up to neuropsychologists to find better mea ns of assessing other domains, mainly executive function and various pathophysiological impairments. Still, neuropsychological testing is undoubtedly a fruitful way of dementia diagnosing at an early stage of the disease development.What weaknesses does the author identify in the current criteria for dementia diagnoses?Although neuropsychological testing proved to be an effective instrument of diagnosing patients who suffer from dementia, it cannot be called efficient in evaluating executive function and other important domains. It is all due to the lack of normative data and unavailability of necessary tools that would help in assessing the domains other than cognitive impairment. This is the first and major weakness of neuropsychological testing.In addition, there is one more limitation as for the current diagnostic criteria. It includes the fact that neuropsychological testing ignores cognitive complaint as it is mostly focused on cognitive impairment. It is probably due to the l ow correlation between the neuropsychological diagnosing and cognitive complaint. However, it is true that cognitive complaint is distressing and thus, it should be included into the criteria for dementia diagnosing.One more weakness of the current criteria is the lack of appropriate methodology to assess the impairment in occupational and social functioning to full extent. In this regard, it is worth saying that the neuropsychological testing lacks tools for evaluating cognitive impairment as they are not fully developed and cannot predict decline. As for executive function, planning and sequencing seem to be more predictive of the functional loss. Thus, to improve the current criteria for dementia diagnosing, there need to be stronger tools, methodology and other instruments of evaluating the cases of dementia at its early stage. However, the current criteria lack many important instruments that would help achieve this goal.In this regard, neuropsychological testing has many weakn esses that should be dealt with in order to provide a fully developed investigation of dementia. Nevertheless, neuropsychological testing undoubtedly has a number of strong sides as well and can be regarded as an effective method of diagnosing patients with dementia.Article 3Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: An Effectiveness Study.This article examined the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy. What experimental design was employed in the study (i.e., between-subjects or within-subjects, longitudinal or cross-sectional)?The article under discussion investigates the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy. The researchers employed a single-group, within-subjects, longitudinal experimental design. The participants of the psychodynamic psychotherapy were all adults. The study provides important and valuable information in the area of the moderating outcome variables that underwent certain limitations in the previous studies related to psychodynamic psychotherapy. This was carrie d out within a longitudinal context by using the empirical measure. Furthermore, the results of the study indicated the significance of the first three months of treatment. The research has shown considerable effectiveness of the psychodynamic psychotherapy in the above-mentioned context. It is a significant break-through as the previous researches on the matter of psychodynamic treatment have been severely criticized for lacking the longitudinal component, insufficient attention to moderating variables and deficit of the empirical measure. All this makes it clear that the current effectiveness study of the psychodynamic psychotherapy proved to be effective in many ways. It is presumably due to the fact that the authors of the research employed the effective experimental design that is characterized as single-group, longitudinal and within-subjects. This gives an understanding that such experimental design is one of the most efficient ones in evaluating the effectiveness of psychody namic psychotherapy and is advised to be employed in further investigations on this matter. On the whole, the study has given enough evidence of high efficiency of the psychodynamic psychotherapy used for treating various psychological and psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and many other psychological disorders. Finally, it needs to be admitted that the current study proved to be more efficient than all of the previous ones.According to the study, was psychodynamic psychotherapy effective? If so, what was the effect size of the change produced?Findings of the study suggest that the psychodynamic psychotherapy is effective over time. The analysis given in the article makes it clear that such treatment produces a moderate effect over time and it is particularly important to employ psychodynamic psychotherapy during the first three months of treatment. Findings show a general course of recovery with certain between-group variability. Thus, the study proved to be quite e ffective for treating various psychological disorders, mainly depression and anxiety. The psychodynamic psychotherapy has shown moderate effectiveness within different groups of patients. Although the overall effect size of such treatment is moderate, the therapy should be considered effective for treating a number of personality disorders.According to the results of the study, the symptom distress subscale had an effect size of .38, which is the highest among all of the three subscales ranging from .28 to .38. However, the OQ total score managed to produce a significantly stronger effect size comprising .41. It should be admitted, that in all of the cases, most of the changes took place during the first three months of employing the psychodynamic psychotherapy. The first three months of treatment are considered to be the most important period leading to the stronger effect size.However, the actual treatment effect was lower than it was anticipated. The average effect size in the cu rrent study comprised .33, which is less than the effect size described in the existing literature on this matter. On the whole, it is to be admitted that according to the current study, psychodynamic psychotherapy appears to be moderately effective for treating different psychological and personality disorders. However, in most cases, the effectiveness of such therapy becomes especially evident only after the first three months of treatment.

What You Can Learn From the FHLC

What You Can Learn From the FHLC The Family History Library Catalog, the gem of the Family History Library, describes over 2 million rolls of microfilm and hundreds of thousands of books and maps. It does not contain the actual records, however, only descriptions of them - but is an important step in the digital genealogy process for learning about what records might be available for your area of interest. The records described in the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) come from throughout the world. This catalog is also available on CD and microfiche at the Family History Library and at local Family History Centers, but to have it available for searching online is of amazing benefit. You can do much of your research from home at whatever time is convenient and, therefore, maximize your research time at your local Family History Center (FHC). To access the online version of the Family History Library Catalog go to the Familysearch homepage (www.familysearch.org) and select Library Catalog from the Library navigation tab at the top of the page. Here you are presented with the following options: Place Search - Use this option to find catalog entries about a place or for records from a place.Surname Search - Use this option to find catalog entries about records that include a specific surname, such as written family histories.Keyword Search - Use this option to find catalog entries about records that contain a certain word or phrase. You can use this to search for keywords in titles, authors, places, series, and subjects.Title Search - Use this option to find catalog entries about records that contain a certain word or combination of words in the title.Film/Fiche Search - Use a Film/Fiche Search to find the titles of items on a specific microfilm or microfiche in the Family History Library Catalog.Author Search - Use an Author Search to find the Author Details record for a person, church, society, government agency, and so forth identified as an author of a specific reference. The Author Details record lists titles linked to the author and may include notes and references.Cal l Number Search - Use a Call Number Search to find an item by its call number (the number used to locate items on the shelves in the Family History Library or the FamilySearch Center). Lets start with the place search, as this is the one that we find the most useful. The place search screen contains two boxes: PlacePart of (optional) In the first box, type the place you want to find entries for. We  would suggest that you start your search with a very specific place name, such as a city, town or county. The Family History Library contains a huge amount of information and if you search on something broad (such as a country) you will end up with too many results to wade through. The second field is optional. Since many places have the same names, you can limit your search by adding a jurisdiction (a larger geographic area that includes your search location) of the place you want to find. For example, you can add the state name in the second box after entering a county name in the first box. If you do not know the name of the jurisdiction, then just search on the location name itself. The catalog will return a list of all jurisdictions which contain that particular place name and you can then select the one which best meets your expectations. Place Search Tips Keep in mind while searching, that the names of the countries in the FHL catalog are in English, but the names of the states, provinces, regions, cities, towns and other jurisdictions are in the language of the country in which they are located. Place Search will only find the information if it is part of the place-name. For example, if we  searched for North Carolina in the above example, our results list would show places named North Carolina (there is only one - the U.S. State of N.C.), but it would not list places in North Carolina. To see places that are part of North Carolina, select View Related Places. The next screen would display all counties in North Carolina. To see the towns in one of the counties, you would click on the county, then click View Related Places again. The more specific you make your search, the shorter your lists of results will be. If you have trouble finding a specific location, dont just conclude that the catalog does not have records for that place. There are many reasons why you may be having difficulties. Before you give up your search, be sure to try the following strategies: Be sure you typed the place-name correctly.If you qualified your search with another jurisdiction, try the search again without this qualification.Search for records using a larger jurisdiction. For example, if you cannot find records for a town, search for county records. Once you locate the place for which you are looking, you will be presented with a list of places. If you qualified your search with another jurisdiction, the list should be short. If you did not qualify your search, the list may be long. If the list shows the place you want, click on the place-name to see the Place Details record. This records usually contain the following items: View Related Places  - Clicking on this button will give you a list of other places you might be interested in.Notes  - A few historical facts and details about the placeTopics  - A list of topics for which records are available that relate to the place that you are looking for. This list might include such topics as: biographies, cemeteries, census records, church records, guardianship records, history, land and property records, maps, military history, tax records, vital records, voting records, etc. To best explain what is available in the Family History Library Catalog, it is easiest to take you step-by-step through a search. Begin by doing a  place search  for Edgecombe. The only result will be for Edgecombe County, North Carolina - so next select this option. From the list of available topics for Edgecombe County, North Carolina, we are  first going to select Bible Records, as this is the first source which the Catalog Helper suggested for information on our great, great grandmothers maiden name. The next screen which comes up lists the titles and authors available for the topic which we selected. In our case, there is only one Bible Record entry listed. Topic: North Carolina, Edgecombe - Bible recordsTitles:  Bible records of early Edgecombe Williams, Ruth Smith Click on one of your result titles to learn more information. Now you are given the complete catalog entry of the title you selected. [blockquote shadeyes]Title:  Bible records of early EdgecombeStmnt.Resp.:  by Ruth Smith Williams and Margarette Glenn GriffinAuthors:  Williams, Ruth Smith (Main Author) Griffin, Margarette Glenn (Added Author)Notes:  Includes index.Subjects:  North Carolina, Edgecombe - Vital records North Carolina, Edgecombe - Bible recordsFormat:  Books/Monographs (On Fiche)Language:  EnglishPublication:  Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1992Physical:  5 microfiche reels; 11 x 15 cm. If this title has been microfilmed, the View Film Notes button appears. Click on it to see a description of the microfilm(s) or microfiche and to obtain microfilm or microfiche numbers for ordering the film through your local Family History Center. Most items can be ordered for viewing at your local Family History Center, though a few cannot due to licensing regulations. Before ordering microfilms or microfiche, please check the Notes field for your title. Any restrictions on the use of the item will be mentioned there. [blockquote shadeyes]  Title:  Bible records of early EdgecombeAuthors:  Williams, Ruth Smith (Main Author) Griffin, Margarette Glenn (Added Author)Note:  Bible records of early EdgecombeLocation:  Film FHL US/CAN Fiche 6100369 Congratulations! Youve found it. The FHL US/CAN Fiche number in the lower right-hand corner is the number which you will need to order this film from your local family history center. Place search is probably the most useful search for the FHLC, as the librarys collection is primarily organized by location. There are several other search options open to you, however. Each of these searches has a specific purpose for which it is very useful. The searches do not allow wildcard characters (*), but do allow you to type in only part of a search term (i.e. Cri for Crisp): Surname Search A surname search is primarily used to find published family histories. It will not find surnames listed in individual microfilm records such as census records. A surname search will provide you with a list of titles of catalog entries tied to surnames that match your search and the main author for each title. Some of the published family histories are only available in book form and have not been microfilmed. Books listed in the Family History Library Catalog cannot be sent to Family History Centers. You can request that a book is microfilmed, however (ask a staff member at your FHC for help), but this may take several months if the library has to obtain copyright permission to do so. It may be faster to try to obtain the book elsewhere, such as a public library or from the publisher. Author Search This search is primarily used to find catalog entries by or about a certain person, organization, church, etc. The author search finds records which include the name you typed as the author or the subject, so it is especially useful for finding biographies and autobiographies. If you are looking for a person, type the surname in the Surname or Corporate Name box. Unless you have a very rare surname, we would also type all or part of the first name in the First Name box to help limit your search. If you are looking for an organization, type all or part of the name into the Surname or Corporate box. Film/Fiche Search Use this search to find the titles of items on a specific microfilm or microfiche. It is a very exact search and will only return the titles on the particular microfilm or microfiche number that you input. The results will include an item summary and the author for each item on the microfilm. The Film Notes may contain a more detailed description of what is on the microfilm or microfiche. To view this additional information, select the title and then click on View Film Notes. Film/Fiche search is especially useful for finding the records available on a film/fiche which is listed as a reference in Ancestral File or the IGI. We also use the film/fiche search to look for additional background on any film we plan to order because sometimes the film/fiche search will include references to other relevant microfilm numbers. Call Number Search Use this search if you know the call number of a book or other printed source (maps, periodicals, etc.) and want to learn more about what records it contains. On a book’s label, call numbers are usually printed on two or more lines. To include both lines of the call number in your search, type in the information from the top line, then a space, and then the information from the bottom line. Unlike other searches, this one is case-sensitive, so be sure to type in upper and lower case letters where appropriate. Call number search is probably the least used of all of the searches, but can still be very useful in cases where people list an item and its call number as a reference source without any indication to the information which it contains. The online Family History Library Catalog is a window to the two million plus records (print and microfilm) which the Family History Library maintains in its collection. For those of us around the world who cant easily make it to Salt Lake City, UT, it is absolutely invaluable both as an avenue for research and as a learning tool. Practice using the different searches and play around with different techniques and you may find yourself amazed at the things you find.