Exploring

With all these folks wandering around exploring the campus, I thought to explore our Library web page.

The Library web page is divided into six subject sections. The resources we subscribe to are noted in the appropriate topic area.

You know something is important if it's the first thing you see. Above the fold are our Research Resources : catalog, Credo Reference, Encyclopedia Britannica, and GALILEO .

A little scrolling takes one to the General Resources : Facts on File, Global Road Warrior, and NewsBank.

The four subject areas are in alphabetical order : Business, 'English & Literature', 'Nursing and Allied Health',and 'Social Issues, Current Events & History'.

Each resource requires a log in for off campus access. Every resource we subscribe to is posted in GALILEO which eliminates the need for separate login/passwords.

Check with your CTC librarian for the the GALILEO password or the specific logins to our resources. Get ready for the next term by exploring what is available online.



-kss

Busy, busy, busy

The view from the circulation desk is very entertaining this morning. Open Registration for the next semester started at 8am. Faculty advisors and students are walking rapidly to and fro. We're the first face they see upon entering this building. We are fielding many a question about 'where is....'.

The next term for CTC begins on Monday, January 9th.

-kss

The rise of the West

"The rise of the West in presidential elections" is one of the results from a search for 'political process' in our catalog.

My first response to the title was it must have something to do with our influence in other countries elections.

A click on the contents link revealed my error.

The American West is a region unique in the United States, not only for its natural landscapes and climate, but also its dynamic economy, rich culture and history, and regional identity. Each of these characteristics creates distinctive interests and issues that impact public policy in the West. Consistently, however, the West has been largely ignored by presidential candidates who remain uninterested in the few electoral votes to be won in the region. The 2008 presidential election demonstrated that such an attitude toward western states appears to be shifting, as are the dynamics of the presidential primary system as a whole.

Here we have a perfect example of why one should not judge a book by its title. With the primary season in full swing, this seems like a timely title to read. It is an electronic edition that can be downloaded to your e-reader. Check with your CTC librarian for the information on accessing the e-book collection.



-kss

And they're off

When you want to stay informed about the latest twist or turn in a news cycle, newspapers, broadcast television, and cable news are easily available via the Internet. Opinions posted in blogs offer a quick response to a news event. You can be inundated with information that hasn't had a chance to settle.

Print sources used to offer a measured response to an event. They had a bit of time to gather the details, all the details and think through what happened before publishing the story. Op-ed pieces published in print sources try to follow that pattern by offering thoughtful feedback.

Most general databases in GALILEO offer a search limiter to editorials in the advanced search option.

I'm specifically looking for newspaper editorials. We have access to ProQuest Newspapers through GALILEO.

The basic ProQuest Newspapers search screen is really basic. There's a search box with a Full Text check box. Period. That definitely gives one the clue to use Advanced Search to add any limiters.

Republican Primary is my search phrase - no quotes. ProQuest did offer me other choices in auto-complete. That can be helpful when the search term you've decided to use just doesn't quite fill the bill.

In Advanced Search, I selected : Date Range - Last 7 days : the Document Type - editorial : the Language- English : sorted by Publication Date (most recent).

67 editorials were retrieved. One for today (January 4) from the New York Times.
A second search putting "Republican Primary" in quotes, retrieved 12 editorials. Quotation marks are a powerful limiter!

It is interesting to read editorials from around the country on the same topic. You can create an e-mail alert or an RSS feed in ProQuest Newspapers. Just click on the link in the upper right hand corner.

The password for GALILEO is available from your Georgia librarian.
To get to ProQuest Newspapers-
Select Databases A-Z
...Select P
....Scroll to ProQuest Newspapers - don't stop at ProQuest Databases


-kss

And the winner is?

The Iowa caucuses intrigue me. I'm fairly suggestible and can be persuaded to go along with the crowd. Voting in a booth all by myself helps me stick to my choice. I think standing in a room and seeing all my neighbors swirling around would make it harder to stick to my first response. Peer Pressure can be a powerful influence.

A search for Iowa Caucus in History Reference Center which is a "full-text history reference database designed for secondary schools, public libraries, junior/community colleges, and undergraduate research. The database features reference books, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, and history periodicals as well as thousands of historical documents, biographies of historical figures, photos, maps, and over 80 hours of historical video" pulled up 9 articles and 4 videos. The search only looked between 2000 and 2004. I couldn't edit it to cover a longer span of time. No references to peer pressure.

That's not a whole lot about the Iowa Caucus. We have other History resources. I choose Credo Reference. A search limited to their History collection with Iowa caucus in quotes pulled up nothing. A search in the overall Credo collection only pulled up 5 references.
Still no references to peer pressure.

Fascinating. Since my initial concern was the effect of Peer Pressure on my choice, I went to the Psychology database by Ebsco. Two articles were retrieved. The time slot of 2000 to 2012 was not much longer than History Reference Center, which is also an Ebsco product. Neither article dealt with peer pressure.

Maybe someone should do a study on peer pressure and the Iowa Caucus results. Stay tuned as the Presidential Election season gets rolling.

To find the resources I mentioned-
go to GALILEO
There is a new password for accessing GALILEO.
Check with your CTC librarian.
...select Databases A-Z
.....select the first letter of the database (H for History, C for Credo, P for Psychology)
........then scroll to the database

-kss

Happy New Year

We're back from the Winter break. It's very handy to have the whole school close for the week between December 25th and January 1.

This morning I sent e-mails to the English 1101 and English 1102 instructors advertising the Library guides and MLA handout. Several instructors have contacted me about coming to their classroom for a presentation. I enjoy going out and sharing the resources that will help students succeed.

It's going to be a superb term.


-kss