Top Shelf

by Katie Dunn and Naomi Trapp Davis, SWC Librarians

Welcome to Top Shelf -- a weekly column where SWC Librarians share some of their favorite resources. Thanks to Katie and Naomi for giving us this week's selections.

Book Selection
Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States by M. Wesley Shoemaker (Reference Collection DK 17 D6)

Alright, ‘fess up now. Can you honestly say you know just where Kazakhstan is, or Azerbaijan, or Tajikistan? Me neither. How about their current foreign or domestic policy? Are their policies a worry to the United States? The entries in this paperback provide what, for me, would be just about the right amount of detail to give me a greatly improved and very current understanding of the economy, the culture, the history, and the politics of this region. The volume is part of a series (The World Today Series) that appears to be published annually. (So maybe every librarian but me knew about this title 5 years ago, but hey! I like it today.) -Katie.

Website Selection
http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/tools/cookin-with-google/
Cooking with Google

Have you ever tried to cook dinner, only to find that your fridge has very little in the way of inspiration? “What can I possibly do with chicken, 4 radishes, and some yogurt?” If so, this custom Google search will be your new best friend. Simply type in ingredient(s) and out pops a list of recipes from some of the best recipe websites out there – sites like Epicurious, Eating Well, Cooking Light, and cooks.com, to name just a few. You can even edit your results further with categories like “Diabetic” or “Low Fat.”

The URL is a little too long to remember, so make it easy on yourself and bookmark it. Now, the next time you have to cook dinner, it’ll be fun to think up ways to use up that tofu and spinach. -Naomi.