We’ll leave this blog here as an archive of sorts, but will no longer be updating the Points of Reference blog. Many thanks go out to our previous contributors, including Barbara Bibel, Christine Bulson, Lindsay Harmon, Sara Rofofsky Marcus, Carolyn Mulac, Sue Polanka, Mary Ellen Quinn, and Dave Tyckoson.

See you on the other side of the reference desk!

Follow Julie, Todd, and their dog, Max, as they encounter a strange new disease.  It is spreading rapidly and it turns people into Zombies.  (No, it is not a political campaign. )

Readers who follow the engaging story will learn about the importance of disaster preparedness. The book includes a checklist to use at home, at school, or in the workplace. It will help them plan for obtaining the necessary supplies, creating a plan of action, and having a method of communication.

To enjoy the novel go to http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies_novella.htm. You will find links to view, download, or obtain an accessible text version of the PDF.

This archive contains over 16,000 digitized primary source documents about the influenza epidemic of 1918. These include newspaper articles, information about 50 cities and how they dealt with the epidemic, articles about people and organizations involved, and photographs. It is interesting to see how effective non-pharmaceutical interventions  were. There were no vaccines and no antiviral drugs in 1918, so public health workers had to rely on techniques such as social distancing.

The compilers of this archive did a great deal of research on the 1918 epidemic and prepared a supplemental issue of Public Health Reports published in 2010.  The 1918 epidemic is still a source of information for public health planning and policy. We may have vaccines, but it takes time to create them. The older methods of social distancing, hand washing, and covering coughs and sneezes remain important.

So enjoy the archive, watch the movie Contagion, and don't forget to get your flu shot.

This annual event, now in its 25th year, was inspired by the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights that attracted 500,000 participants. For a historical perspective, check out ABC News' look back at key moments in the gay rights movement.

Resources for both your LGBT patrons and their straight allies can be found at the Human Rights Campaign website.

As more people use these to save money on drugs, learning to distinguish the legitimate suppliers from the fake pharmacies can literally save a life.  Visit the FDA to find tools for vetting online pharmacies. Be suspicious if they offer prices too good to be true, do not require a prescription, have no contact information, and lack a pharmacist to answer questions.  Your physical and financial health could be in danger without these safeguards.

The FDA website offers links to state pharmacy boards so that one may check the licenses of online pharmacies and pharmacists.  Be especially wary of pharmacies located outside the United States.  They may have fake medications, substandard drugs, and variations in ingredients that could cause side effects, as well as lack of protection for your personal and financial information.  So be careful when buying drugs online.

Wherever you obtain your medications, the FDA also provides good information about taking and storing them safely.

An important event in beer history took place on October 5, 1842 with the first brewing of the original Pilsner Urquell lager in Pilsen, Czech Republic.  Celebrate it at Plzeňský Prazdroj  

Looking for the perfect toast to go with that perfect pour?  Go no further than RealBeer.com , one of the websites Sue Polanka mentioned in her 2003 Booklist article, “Reference Sources on Beer.”  It includes a list of favorite toasts for various occasions.

Small and independent craft brewers in the U.S.are represented by the Brewers Association, whose website  offers a variety of helpful links and industry information. 

If print reference sources on beer are more to your taste, check out these Booklist reviews for The Encyclopedia of Beer  and The Oxford Companion to Beer  – just be careful not to spill your suds on them. 

Cheers!