Literary Tools
Beyond Googling: New resource available for writers
S
o, say you’re writing a historical novel about Cowlitz County in the early years of the twentieth century just before R. A. Long arrived with his dream of a model city. Your main character wants to contact her boyfriend in Kalama. You’re pretty sure she can’t text him, but what about a phone call? Did Kelso have phones in 1915? What kind? And what would a phone call be like at that time? Your great (maybe great-great) grandparents are no longer around to ask, so what do you do?
With her book, Research Like a Librarian, Vikki J. Carter has provided a valuable service to fiction and nonfiction writers who want to go beyond Googling and Wikipedia for their research needs. She provides chapters on the basics (e.g., how to find your way around a library in the digital age, different options for note-taking) as well as more advanced tools and techniques, like how to search online most efficiently, creating and formatting your bibliography, avoiding plagiarism, and she offers
Where to find the new Reader
It’s delivered all around the River by the 15th of each month. Here’s the list of handy, regularly-refilled sidewalk box and rack locations where you can pick up a copy any time of day and even in your bathrobe:
LONGVIEW U.S. Bank Post Office Bob’s (rack, main check-out) In front of 1232 Commerce Ave In front of 1323 Commerce Ave YMCA Fred Meyer (rack, by service desk) Teri’s Grocery Outlet Fibre Fed’l CU - Commerce Ave Monticello Hotel (front entrance) Kaiser Permanente St. John Medical Center (rack, Park Lake Café) LCC Student Center Indie Way Diner Columbia River Reader Office 1333 14th Ave. KELSO Heritage Bank Visitors’ Center / Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce KALAMA Fibre Fed’l CU Kalama Shopping Center corner of First & Fir McMenamin’s Harbor Lodge WOODLAND Visitors’ Center Grocery Outlet Luckman Coffee Antidote (rack) CASTLE ROCK Lacie Rha’s Cafe (32 Cowlitz W.) Parker’s Restaurant (box, entry) Visitors’ Center 890 Huntington Ave. N., Exit 49, west side of I-5
RYDERWOOD Café porch TOUTLE Drew’s Grocery & Service
CLATSKANIE Post Office Chevron / MiniMart Fultano’s Pizza WESTPORT Berry Patch Wauna mill (parking lot) RAINIER Post Office Cornerstone Rainier Hardware (rack, entry) Earth ‘n’ Sun (on Hwy 30) El Tapatio (entry rack) Grocery Outlet DEER ISLAND Deer Island Store COLUMBIA CITY - Post Office WARREN Warren Country Inn ST HELENS Chamber of Commerce Sunshine Pizza St. Helens Market Fresh Olde Town: Wild Currant, Tap into Wine Safeway SCAPPOOSE To find the 24/7 Post Office pick-up point Road Runner nearest you, Fultano’s visit crreader.com and click “Find the Ace Hardware Magazine” tab. WARRENTON, OR Fred Meyer CATHLAMET Cathlamet Pharmacy Tsuga Gallery Cathlamet Realty West Puget Island Ferry Landing SKAMOKAWA Skamokawa General Store NASELLE Appelo Archives & Café Johnson’s One-Stop
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a range of useful websites every writer should have next to the computer. Possessing a master’s degree in Library & Information Science and being a faculty member of the College of Information Technology at Western Governors University, Carter also understands the specific research needs of writers. Carter is the host and producer of the podcast, “Authors of the Pacific Northwest,” produces the WordFest on Zoom events with Alan Rose and Bethany Glenn, and is herself working on a historical novel that has required the research skills she provides in her book and in the free accompanying workbook. The e-book is currently available on Amazon for 99¢ until May 25, and then $2.99. She is preparing a print version to be out in June. More information can be found on her website at www. theauthorslibrarian.com.
Photo and more North Coast Chorale details, see page 10.
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