Friday, May 25, 2007

What's In Your Attic?


New Appraisal Database For Antiques and Collectibles Available

With TV shows like Antiques Roadshow, Find! and What’s in Your Attic? being all the rage – collectors and treasure hunters alike are scrambling to put price tags on everything from baseball cards to tall case clocks. And, since one person’s trash is another’s treasure… it’s often difficult to put a fair and equitable price on antiques and collectibles. What is it worth? Or, more importantly, what will someone pay? Introducing Price It! Antiques & Collectibles – the most comprehensive database for pricing antiques and collectibles. Users can search and sort using a number of criteria, such as category type, sale date range (if applicable) and data source. This online pricing tool contains more than 23 million records – with 2 million records added monthly – of prices realized for art, antiques and collectibles.

COLLECTIBLES, TOO
Not just antiques... Price It! Antiques & Collectibles offers powerful data that will help you price an item’s true value, with popular collectible categories such as Bakelite, Bottles, Breweriana, Coca Cola® Collectibles, Comic Books, Cookie Jars, Dolls, Holiday Collectibles, Paperweights, Salt & Pepper, Vintage Apparel and much, much more. Users also get help in identifying their items by viewing photos of similar items. Collectors, dealers and appraisers will love the information – and the opportunities – afforded by Price It! Antiques & Collectibles.

DATA SOURCES
Unlike other online databases that draw from few sources, Price It! Antiques & Collectibles offers historical price data (plus images when available) gathered from three reputable sources – online auctions (eBay®, GoAntiques™), online retail (GoAntiques™ and TIAS), and dozens of land-based auctions. Sales information from some of the sources dates back to 1998, giving users a comprehensive view of the marketplace. Additionally, results lists include the average price, number of items, price range, sales channel, source and more. With just a few mouse clicks, users get powerful data that will help them maximize their items’ value.

2 MILLION RECORDS ADDED MONTHLY
Price It! Antiques & Collectibles offers more than 23 million prices, combined with more than 10 million images. Plus, we add two million records monthly, so they are always up-to-date and current. No other online pricing tool offers this many records, coupled with robust search capabilities and analysis.

Price It! can be accessed both from in the library and remotely from home. To access the database from home, visit the patron authentication page at http://online.lancasterlibraries.org.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

New Database Available at the Library

Ancestry.com added to library's suite of online databases!

IT ALL BEGINS WITH A NAME…
“Who am I? Where am I from? What makes me the person that I am?” Some may never think to turn to the past to find the answers to these questions, but for those that do, a world of discovery awaits. The voyage to the stories of your past always begins with just one name. Every family has their own unique story — their origins, their way of life, their family ties that bind them together and their experiences that define their existence and form the very fabric of their family. Now Ancestry.com is making it easier than ever before to create meaningful connections with your family’s past and the ancestors who helped shape your present.

THE JOY OF DISCOVERY
Ancestry.com offers an unrivaled opportunity for people everywhere to unlock the mysteries of their past and search, save and share their family stories. The site holds the web’s largest collection of historical records, hosting everything from birth, marriage and death records, military records and the complete collection of U.S. Census, to newspapers, photographs and other documents that complete the fascinating puzzle of our pasts. A name, a photo, a record,
a date — clues come together through automated search functions on Ancestry.com to create a vivid snapshot of the past and tell a tale of family history.

New Features , New Functionality, More Possibilities
Ancestry.com helped fuel the booming genealogy trend by making vast amounts of genealogical content available online. Now, the company is again redefining the family history experience, making it easier for both beginners and experienced enthusiasts to unlock the mysteries of their past and experience the magic of finding their ancestors by providing millions of people many easy-to-use tools and resources that simplify their search. Newly enhanced features and functionality offer a more personalized, collaborative social-networking experience that allows people to utilize the wealth of digital content amassed on Ancestry.com, empowering the family tree to tell a story and providing a safe and private space for people to search, save and
share their family history online. Connecting the past to the present is a journey that holds the hope of discovery. Family history research links Ancestry members, not only to their ancestors, but also to millions of other members within the Ancestry.com network who are putting together the priceless pieces of their pasts. Whether you begin your voyage starting from scratch or with vast amounts of knowledge about your ancestors, Ancestry.com offers the unmatched opportunity for you to travel back in time and trace your family history, at the click of a mouse.

Ancestry.com is available in any of the Lancaster County's libraries, although remote (from access) is not yet available. All you need is your library card. Visit the patron authentication page at http://online.lancasterlibraries.org to access the service!