Are you smarter

Through Credo, we have access to 583 reference books in a variety of subjects. I couldn't think of the fancy word for the fear of 13. I was close with triskaphobia. Credo, offered me triskaidekaphobia as an option for search. I clicked on their suggestion. Credo pulled up 12 references ranging from a regular dictionary to a medical dictionary to Brewer's Phrase and Fable. The breadth of resources and the speed of results makes this an invaluable resource, which leads me right to this Friday's brainteaser.

This week's brainteaser tests the breadth as well as the depth of your knowledge.

1. In "Sesame Street" and the "Muppet Show", what sort of animal was Kermit?
2. Which rock group released albums called "Their Satanic Majesties Request" and "Sticky Fingers"?
3. The word "Hock" is used to refer to wine from which country?
4. Which animal is usually associated with Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac?
5. Monza is well known for its motor-racing circuit. In which country is Monza?
6. "Zn" is the symbol for which chemical element?
7. Was the film "Casablanca" made before, during, or after the Second World War?
8. Who was the predecessor of John F. Kennedy as president of the United States?
9. What shape is the pitch in Australian Rules football?
10. What name is usually given to Beethoven's 3rd Symphony?
Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk)

Find out the answers here, or copy and paste this link into your browser address bar: http://blog.credoreference.com/2012/01/credo-reference-friday-brainteaser-general-knowledge-2/

Credo is available through GALILEO. Credo may be accessed from our Library page.
Ask your CTC librarian for login information.

-kss

a 1000 words

We've just subscribed to Image Quest by Encyclopedia Britannica.

"You can now simplify and improve your search for images with Image Quest. Enjoy your access to more than two million rights-cleared images from over 50 of the best collections in the world (soon to be over 60 collections!). Dorling Kindersley Images, Getty Images, the National Portrait Gallery of London, the National Geographic Society, Oxford Scientific, and other leading names have joined with Britannica to provide the best and broadest collection of proprietary educational imagery. Teachers can use the images in their lesson plans and classroom activities while students will turn to the site as they work on homework assignments and school or course projects. Free of advertising and from trustworthy sources, Image Quest provides safe and fast access to high quality images on all topics and for all ages."

Yes, there are tons of images via the web. There are sites that offer images for free use. It's hard to help students quickly find an image that is usable for their projects and is 'legal'. Image Quest gives our students an edge to bring creativity to a project without stepping on the toes of the artist who created the image!

Check with your CTC librarian for access information.


-kss

The Buzz

Publishers know that 'buzz' can create a best seller.


The talk a little song came to me as I was thinking about 'buzz'. We do chitter-chatter about literature. Have you read 'The Hunger Games' trilogy? Because of questions on LM_NET about its appropriateness for middle school libraries, I borrowed the books from a co-worker. I'd heard about the trilogy from various avid adult readers but hadn't been bitten by the 'buzz' to seek out the books for myself.

Where does one go to confirm the 'buzz' about a book? A Google search using 'Reviews : Hunger Games' pulls up a plethora of reviews, some from periodicals, some from blogs and some from book sellers.

Other sources for print reviews are in GALILEO. A general database, Academic Search Complete by EBSCO has a Book Reviews limiter on the Advanced Search page under the Document Type drop down box.

The reviews in Academic Search Complete include academic resources like Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. These give a scholarly approach to the review of a book. They are an interesting contrast to the reviews from the commercial press.

When you hear the 'buzz' about a book, check out the reviews both commercial and academic!

-kss

Your Georgia librarian can give you the current password to access GALILEO

Shared Responsibility

Clinton and Congress, 1993-1996 [electronic resource] : risk, restoration, and reelection by Charles O. Jones was found in our catalog with a search for the subject Gingrich, Newt. The primary news cycle has gotten to me so I'm digging in our resources for likely sources of information.

Part of Mr. Gingrich's campaign has been how he worked with Mr. Clinton to get things done for the United States. The back flap of this book notes that both Mr. Clinton and Mr. Gingrich learned how to share responsibility for programs. It is always interesting to compare a  historians view to what the individual says happened. Dig for more on the story don't let 'them' spoon feed you with 'they' want you to know!

Check with your CTC librarian for access information..


-kss

Two down

Two states have held their statewide opportunity to select the delegates for the Republican Convention. Have you been following the news reports?

We subscribe to NewsBank which gives one access to 1700 US news sources. For us, the highlight of NewsBank is the access to 37 Georgia newspapers.

NewsBank isn't as user friendly as some of our resources. The opening page of NewsBank has links but no search box.

As an aside, the Hot Topics link at the top of the left column opens a page with topics (current events and research topics), a few teasers about the topic, and suggested search terms. The Research Topics could be very helpful for students needing to do a paper. It reminds me of Facts.com and Issues and Controversies. Yet, nothing is hyperlinked to the database. Why?

Back to my original thought, news about the primaries and following the reports.
I selected Georgia News Sources from the Opening page.
They offer 37 newspaper titles. A check by the specific paper limits the search. If you make no specific newspaper choices, the search will go through all 37 Georgia papers.
The search boxes offer the usual boolean operators.
You can limit your search by dates.
You can sort several ways.
When you open an article, there is the option to get a citation.
You can e-mail the article. You can create an e-mail alert.
This is standard fare for most databases.

Because NewsBank offers 37 Georgia newspapers, it becomes a unique resource in our collection.

To access NewsBank contact your CTC Librarian for the login. NewsBank is accessible via GALILEO.

-kss

Music therapy

The ENG 1010 assignment peaked my interest. What could I find in our resources that students might be able to use in their narrative essay tying music lyrics to life events.

A scroll through GALILEO reminded me of the Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection. This database "includes articles from 410 full-text journal covering information concerning topics in emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational & experimental methods."

A search for 'music therapy' pulled up 192 articles. I scrolled through the titles looking at the subject headings. I wasn't finding anything that clicked. I tried a search for the word, lyrics. On the first page of the 166 articles, there were several subject headings that could be very useful for refining further searches - MUSIC -- Psychological aspects and MUSIC -- Physiological effect. There was even a policy statement on the impact of music, lyrics and music videos on children and youth. Now I have something to show the class that will add to their essay.

Your Georgia librarian can give you the current password to GALILEO
Select Databases A-Z
...Select P
.....Scroll to Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection


-kss

Easy research

An ENG 1010 class has an assignment to write "a multi-paragraph essay over this idea of making a personal connection to music." They'll need to use the lyrics from songs that have had an impact on their lives. Our print and online resources don't have much in the way of current lyrics. Students will need to go out on the wild web to find  lyrics.  Finding lyrics isn't that difficult on the web. Type in the title, first line, or performer and thousand of sites are pulled up. We do have a Library guide for Evaluating websites. However, since the song is known, it won't take long to see if the web site content is accurate. If only all research was that easy to verify.

-kss

Hi

The easiest, least confrontational or controversial conversation starter is the weather. On this first day of the semester what better topic than these brain teasers supplied by Credo Reference. CTC Library subscribes to the over 570 reference books available through Credo

All these questions are about the weather, or things that have "weather" in their names.

1. What is a weather vane?
2. In which ocean does El Niño occur?
3. What is the difference between "weather" and "climate"?
4. What was the name of the jazz-rock group founded in 1971 by Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul?
5. In 1803, Luke Howard devised a classification of clouds into three primary types. Can you name two of these types?
6. The US terrorist group the Weathermen took their name from a line in a song by which writer?
7. What is measured by the Beaufort scale?
8. Is an anti-cyclone a region of high or low atmospheric pressure?
9. What is a "weather front"?
10. An anemometer is an instrument for measuring what?

Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk)

Find out the answers here, or copy and paste this link into your browser address bar: http://blog.credoreference.com/2012/01/credo-reference-friday-brainteaser-weather/

The Brainteaser is posted every Friday morning to the Credo Reference Blog - check it out and comment on questions, or just let us know how well you did! Follow us on Twitter, or become our fan on Facebook!

Ask your CTC Librarian how to access Credo Reference off campus.


-kss

The beginning

The first day of this semester has begun. Students are printing out their schedule. The question of the morning remains where is a specific location on campus. The new students look a little confused but they'll get the hang of this in a few days.

The Bookstore has been doing a brisk business as proven by the number of students walking by the library with bookstore bags!

Beginnings are always exciting and a bit stressful. The beginning is full of hope. Let us begin!


-kss