Thursday, February 24, 2011

Pretty as a picture

A picture is worth a thousand words. How do you find that expressive work? You can use Google images. You'll pull up all sorts of art work, photographs, drawings, etc. That's all you'll get - the image (and the URL for the web site the image was taken from).

In GALILEO, Oxford Art Online (formerly Grove Art Online) provides access to Grove Art Online, a collection of art encyclopedias and image collections. Users can also choose to view biographies, subject entries, or images when searching or browsing. Content includes more than 23,000 subject entries, 21,000 biographies, 500,000 bibliographic citations, 40,000 image links and 5,000 images contained within Grove Art Online. Thematic time lines and learning resources also provide users with tools for navigating the content.

Oxford Art Online offers an easy search screen. You can look for all sources which will include biographies of artists and articles on the art work. You may also limit your search to the images. The full search lets you know if the result is a subject entry , biography, or an image. There is a helpful box on the left of the search results that lets you show only images or only subject entries or only biographies. You can change the results listing without redoing the search.

There aren't as many images as you'll pull up from Google images but you'll definitely get more substance with your search! Your Georgia librarian has the current password to access GALILEO from home.

-kss

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Habla espanol?

Would you like to practice reading Spanish? Try MedicaLatina through GALILEO which provides access to the full text for more than 140 peer-reviewed medical journals in native Spanish. The majority of full-text titles are available in native (searchable) PDF or scanned-in-color. A wide range of topics are covered including neuroscience, cardiology, nephrology, biomedicine, clinical research, pediatrics, human reproduction, clinical pathology, cancer research, and hematology.

You get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.


-kss

Friday, February 18, 2011

The law says

Legal Collection is an authoritative source for information on current issues, studies, thoughts, and trends of the legal world. Legal Collection offers full text for more than 250 law journals. This database provides information centered on the discipline of law and legal topics, such as criminal justice, international law, federal law, organized crime, medical, labor & human resource law, ethics, the environment, and much more.

It works like any Ebsco database with Basic Search and Advanced search with limiters. You can search for the publications used in the database by selecting the publications link. RSS and e-mail alerts are standard in Ebsco databases.

You may ask your Georgia librarian for the current password to use GALILEO at home. Select Databases A-Z, L, then Legal Collection.


-kss

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Where is the journal?

A student came looking for current journals for the computer sciences. They scanned through the limited collection we have of physical periodicals without finding what they wanted. Our extensive access to journals is through the databases in GALILEO. With that in mind, how do you find a specific journal? On Feb 4th I blogged about finding Sports Illustrated. It's fairly easy to search with the Journals A-Z tab.

Ebsco offers another option for finding a specific periodical in its databases. When you go to a description of an Ebsco database in GALILEO, there may be a link to Journals in this Database: EBSCO Title Lists. Clicking on the link takes you to a file with a list of the Ebsco databases. I admit I thought it would just be a list of that particular databases offerings. Next to each database title there is an icon (with text) noting if it's a pdf file, excel file, or html. You can save the pdf and excel file, which gives you access to the list of periodicals without having to go back into GALILEO.

Rather than scroll through the list looking for the database I was interested in, I used the edit and 'find on this page' option to get to the database I wanted.

As I'm writing the description of how to find a specific periodical in a specific Ebsco database, I'm struck by how easy it is to use Journals A-Z in GALILEO to find the database that has a particular magazine!

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

-kss

Monday, February 14, 2011

a perfect heart

I searched our catalog for Valentines Day books. 15 titles were pulled up. I looked for electronic books that I might use right now. In e-brary there is a poetry book titled Valentines by Ted Kooser. This poem seems so appropriate for today.

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A PERFECT HEART

To make a perfect heart you take a sheet
of red construction paper of the type
that’s rough as a cat’s tongue, fold it once,
and crease it really hard, so it feels
as if your thumb might light up like a match,

then choose your scissors from the box. I like
those safety scissors with the sticky blades
as you snip along. They make you careful,
just as you should be, cutting out a heart

for someone you love. Don’t worry that your curve
won’t make a valentine; it will. Rely
on chewing on your lip and symmetry
to guide your hand along with special art.
And there it is at last: a heart, a heart!

******************

Kooser, Ted; Hanna, Robert (Illustrator). Valentines.
Lincoln, NE, USA: University of Nebraska Press, 2007. p 16.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/chattcollege/Doc?id=10217011&ppg=16
Copyright © 2007. University of Nebraska Press. All rights reserved.


Electronic books are available 24/7 and user friendly!

-kss

Friday, February 11, 2011

Dear Diary

Diaries are a delightful peek at the issues, events, and ordinary activities of another human. Just in time for President's Day take a look at Jimmy Carter's Diary. It's not what I call a personal diary. It is the "official log of the president's activities during his administration". There are columns for start time and end time of the event, a column for placed or received a phone call, then a column describing who was involved and what happened.

GALILEO has a link to the Jimmy Carter Library where you can do a site search for the Diary Online. There are many other items of interest at the Jimmy Carter Library through the web site.

Do you keep a diary? Is it personal reflections or a document of events? My Grandpa journaled daily when he and my Grandma traveled. His diary was both personal reflection and the logging of events.

-kss

You don't need the GALILEO password to access the Jimmy Carter Library and the Diary Online

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Adding pizazz

Last weekend the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of our 40th President, Ronald Reagan began. You can find a variety of original documents about him through Ancestry.com Library Edition.

A search for Ronald Reagan in Ancestry.com Library Edition pulled up both the 1920 and 1930 census where he is listed with his parents and brother in Illinois. The Stars and Stripes articles aren't considered primary sources but they do pinpoint his marriage to Nancy Davis in 1952.

The TV show Who do you think you are illustrates the excitement one feels when a bit of family history is discovered. You can use Ancestry.com Library Edition on campus to flesh out your family story or add pizazz to your research paper on a person or time period!

-kss

Ancestry.com Library Edition is only available on campus through GALILEO.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

1000 words

Ebsco has an Images database. Ebsco Imagesconsists of over 100,000 images from Academic Search Premier, Academic Search Elite, MasterFILE Premier, and Middle Search Plus.

As I play with the search features, I am intrigued how I can limit my search to Black & White or Color photos. Advanced search can alter the results dramatically!

Clicking on the thumbnail size photo brings up a large version of the photo with information. I find the "How do I cite this image" and the "What am I allowed to do with this image" links most helpful.


Go to GALILEO
---Select Databases A-Z
-----Select I
-------Select Images
and look for the picture that best describes an event.

Get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.

-kss

Friday, February 04, 2011

Superbowl

This is the weekend for football fans to gather. If you're looking for facts to drop into the conversation you can go to the Super Bowl History site. The information is very nicely laid out- date, place, teams, score, drop down box with the recap, MVP, and a picture of a ticket and the ring given!

What if you're looking for a taste of what the atmosphere was like just before and after a game? Reading magazines published near the date of the game will give you a flavor of the times. How do you access that magazine article?

GALILEO has several ways to get articles.

You can do a Journal A-Z search for a specific magazine. I looked for Sports Illustrated. It is available full text back to 1992.

Just to see whaat else might be available, I selected the Search tab.
I did a search for Super Bowl in the regular search screen (last tab on the right).
I limited the search term to subject.
I limited the search to 1969-1992. Sports Illustrated articles were retrieved pre 1992.

The oldest Super Bowl article I found was from a 1975 Saturday Evening Post titled the Pittsburgh Steelers Longest Week.
Presents a narrative of the author's observations and experiences during a week leading to the 1975 Super Bowl championship. Information on how ballplayers react differently to the pressure of Super Week; Highlights of a gathering of players from rival teams; Similarities and differences of football from Vietnam war..

It is a pdf file.

Check out GALILEO for background information on many topics! You may get the current password from your Georgia librarian.

-kss

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Google Art Project

Google Art Project is a collaboration between Google and some of the world's leading art museums. The project allows users to view notable works of art from various museums through their computer.

Users can zoom in on a particular work of art or take a 'tour' of a museum. The tour feature utilizes the same technology as the street view on Google maps. This allows for the user to have a real eye level view of the museum and its works. Users could utilize the Art Project as a way to take an art vacation on a budget.



-JWF

The Shadow knows



Punxsutawney Phil prognosticates again and he proclaimed that Spring would be coming soon.

If you are not sure what groundhogs ( also known as woodchucks) do in real life, check out Encyclopædia Britannica through GALILEO. The current password for GALILEO is available from your Georgia librarian.

-kss

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

New Information on Tunisia and Egypt?

Tunisia and Egypt have been in the news a bit lately. If you are looking for current information on the present situation in those countries try World News Digest from Facts on File. This resource has links to news articles on the political unrest in the two countries.

Another, similar resource is Newsbank. This resource has an entire section of news articles related to the present crisis.

If you need some really great information on the culture of Tunisia and Egypt, you might want to try Global Road Warrior. Here you will find information on cuisine, business culture, and basic etiquette. This is a really useful tool for gaining access to information on these countries.

All of these resources may be accessed through the library's Garden Literature Index for those preparing for Spring planting. Today, I'm thinking of traveling to someplace warm and sunny! Hospitality & Tourism Complete is an Ebsco database that covers scholarly research and industry news relating to all areas of hospitality and tourism. Coverage includes periodicals, company and country reports, and books from domestic and international sources. Subject areas include culinary arts, demographics and statistics, development and investment, food and beverage management, hospitality law, hotel management and administrative practices, leisure and business travel, market trends, technology, and more.

When you click on the link in GALILEO the interface is the standard Ebsco base. After your search comes up then you have the snazzier interface!

As in Garden Literature Index you find a number of articles that are not full text. You may request the article through Inter Library Loan!

Get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

-kss

Monday, January 31, 2011

The Sun shone

We had a lovely warm weekend to close out this unseasonably snowy January. Gardeners are beginning to flip through catalogs in anticipation of the planting season which is about to begin. In GALILEO, the Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index
provides access to articles about gardens and plants, including topics such as horticulture, botany, garden and landscape design & history, ecology, plant and garden conservation, garden management, and horticultural therapy. A highlight of the database is its focus on environmentally sustainable horticultural and design practices.

This index and abstract product is designed for gardening enthusiasts, professionals, and students of horticulture and of garden and landscape design & history. It covers more than 300 core serial titles that include general gardening titles of national, international, and regional interest, and titles devoted to specialty gardens and plant groups.

You may find Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index by going to GALILEO, selecting Databases A-Z, selecting G, then selecting Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index.

Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index is an Ebsco database. As the title implies, it is predominately an index to articles. More than a few articles appear with the purple Find It button noting which library has the journal. You are able to limit your search to full text which provides you with the entire article right away!

Libraries may borrow articles through Inter Library Loan. It takes two to three weeks to fulfill an ILL request.

Search Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index and begin dreaming of the bounty the earth will provide with just a little effort on your part.

-kss

You may get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Speaking of online

There is another online resource noted in GALILEO, FDsys(GPO's Federal Digital System), which provides public access to government information submitted by Congress and federal agencies and preserved as technology changes.

The folks at GALILEO are providing a super portal for information that will help the citizens of Georgia!

Get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.


-kss

Online anytime

First Search, through GALILEO, offers a specific E-books index (Electronic Books) which includes records for more than 675,000 eBooks that have been cataloged by OCLC member libraries, including titles available from NetLibrary and other providers. Much of the electronic CTC collection is listed in the index.
Links to full-text content: Users can access Web links to full-text electronic book collections licensed by their libraries from NetLibrary and other providers and free resources that are available in the public domain from education, government, and commercial Web sites.

CTC has over 90,000 electronic books through NetLibrary, E-brary, Ovid, and Credo. Using the E-books index shows our books as well as other electronic books. Some may be available because they are government publications or in Google Books. Some are in licensed databases that we don't have access to. If we don't have access, check the Libraries link to see which library holds this resource. It might be a neighboring post-secondary institution. You may ask to use the resource as a guest in their facility!

This E-books index pulls together many electronic collections. Search and read to your hearts content.

You may get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

-kss

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Which version to use?

Discover America from Compton's by Britannica provides access to statistics and summary information for every state.

The facts are the standard capital, bird, flower, population variety. What I found interesting is the main link in GALILEO takes you to the Middle School version. There are no hyper-links within the state information. At the bottom of the page there are tabs for High School and Elementary. In High School I chose the Discover America link to get to the same map visual. Choosing the identical state provided links to articles from within the text.

The elementary version has the same facts but a simpler Introduction to the state (and no hyperlinks).

I wonder why there are links to other information in the high school version but not the middle school version?

To access Comptons in GALILEO, you need to get the current password from your Georgia librarian!

-kss

Monday, January 24, 2011

One, two, three, four

The 1950's Godfather of Fitness went to the fitness center in the sky yesterday. Jack LaLanne inspired millions to get off the couch, exercise and eat right!

I wondered what information I would find about Jack LaLanne in GALILEO. I selected Browse by Subject, Company and Industry Information. A search for Jack LaLanne did pull up references to him. I realized that a search in the document helped me quickly find the mention of his name. Not many articles were about his business in particular. Current fitness practitioners do talk about his influence on them!

When you see a news story, go to GALILEO to see what else there is to know about the topic!




-kss

The show will go on

If you missed an interview, speech or government event, the show will go on
in the C-Span archives. GALILEO collects web sites that will help Georgia residents get the best information, like C-Span archives.

C-Span Video Library includes over 160,000 hours of coverage of C-SPAN programs since 1987. The C-SPAN Archives, which records, indexes, and archives all C-SPAN programming for historical, educational, research, and archival uses, records all three C-SPAN networks seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Programs are indexed by subject, speaker names, titles, affiliations, sponsors, committees, categories, formats, policy groups, keywords, and location. The congressional sessions and committee hearings are indexed by person with full-text.

Yes, one can do a Google search for C-Span archives and get the site. For me, it is convenient to do the research in one place like GALILEO, especially when I forget about the specialty sites available on the wild web.

You may get the current password for GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.


-kss

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

To 'e' or to 'a'

Library Journal (Facebook page) noted:
"Today's is Edgar Allen Poe's 202nd birthday, and the 2011 Edgar Award nominees have been announced. Some great picks here: Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter; Tana French's Faithful Place; Paul Doiron's The Poacher's Son; Bruce DeSilva's Rogue Island."

Literary Awards are noted in NoveList . See yesterday's post for hints on finding the awards lists.

If you'd like to know more about Edgar Allan Poe, LION, Literature Online has a wealth of information from biographical to critical reviews to full text of his work!

It's interesting to note that the Library Journal poster spells his middle name with an 'e' while LION spells Edgar's middle name with an 'a'. The Washington Post blogger uses All'e'n. A Google search turned up more All'a'n then All'e'n references.

When you don't find what you expect in a search, check the spelling!


-kss

To access LION Literature Online through GALILEO get the current password from your CTC campus librarian!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

And the winner is?

The movie award season started this weekend with the Golden Globes. Were you surprised by any of the winners?

Books have an award season, too. ALA begins the annual literary award season when it hands out several prestigious awards at the mid-winter meeting. Librarians were on the edge of their seats awaiting the news release on January 10th.

If you want to find out more about book award winners, check out NoveList K-8 in GALILEO.

Across the top of NoveList in the blue bar, select More, and then Awards.

There are hundreds of awards listed in alphabetical order including the 3 Georgia Children's Book Awards (Children's Book for ages 9-12, Picture Storybook, and Teen Reader). When you click on the award, NoveList K-8 takes you to the list of titles by year for that specific award. You then may click on an individual title to get the complete NoveList K-8 treatment!

Get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

-kss

Read all about it

Newspapers are an incredible source for the news of the day! Today we are used to "instant" information via the web. We get the story almost as it happens. In the past, the news had a chance to settle down as facts were checked and the article edited. Newspapers tell a more complete story than the history books.

There are several Historic Newspaper resources in GALILEO. Check out this newest offering!

+++++++++++++++

The Digital Library of Georgia is pleased to announce the availability of a new online resource: The Athens Historic Newspapers Archive
http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/athnewspapers

The Athens Historic Newspapers Archive provides online access to five newspaper titles published in Athens from 1827 to 1922. Consisting of over 57,000 newspaper pages, the archive provides historical images that are both full-text searchable and can be browsed by date. The site will provide users with a view into the history of Athens in its early years as the home to the first state-chartered university in the nation and its eventual growth into the largest city in northeast Georgia.

The archive includes the following Athens newspaper titles: Athenian (1827-1832), Southern Banner (1832-1882), Southern Watchman (1855-1882), Daily/Weekly Banner-Watchman (1882-1889), Daily/Weekly Athens Banner (1889-1922).

The Athens Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia as part of the Georgia HomePLACE initiative. The project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Digitization is also made possible through a grant provided by the Francis Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc.


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You may get the current GALILEO password from your Georgia librarian.

-kss

Friday, January 07, 2011

Money, money, and more money

The holidays are over and the gift buying bills are starting to appear. I went looking for a resource in GALILEO that might have timely articles on credit use. Scrolling through the Databases A-Z list I noticed Banking Information Source (ProQuest).

The description notes: Banking Information Source (ProQuest) combines the currency of the Internet and the perspective of industry journals to provide the ultimate financial services research tool. With over 500 of the most authoritative sources of information, there is simply no better way to keep informed.

I haven't used the new ProQuest interface a lot. This quest for financial information is giving me an opportunity to play.

The cool blue appeals to me visually. The larger search box and the limiter for full text on the front screen simplifies searching.

There is no Scholarly Journal limiter on the front page of Banking Information Source (ProQuest). The Scholarly Journals limiter is on the front page of the main ProQuest database. You can limit to scholarly journals in ProQuest Banking Information Source by going to the Advanced Search screen and using the Source type boxes to limit to Scholarly Journals. They do provide a visual clue of a graduation cap icon before an article that is in a scholarly journal.

ProQuest completes the text as you type and offers a list of topics. I discovered I did need to put a phrase in quotes or it would search for the words individually.

I could sort by date after the search was completed if I neglected to limit the search by date range.

ProQuest provides a search tips link which has a plethora of hints, tips, and very useful tricks for getting the most out of a search!

I was amused to note there is a scholarly journal titled The Journal of Money Laundering Control. Who would have thought such a thing existed! You may get the current GALILEO password from your Georgia librarian.



-kls

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Still judging

What started my thought process about judging a book by its cover* was the Book Case blog entry, Best Book Jackets of 2010. It is helpful (and appropriate) that there are links to the Book Page where one can read reviews. The best part of Book Page is the box in the bottom left corner with links to Independent Booksellers, WorldCat (where you can see the closest library that owns the book), and a site that compares online booksellers prices.

If judging a book by its cover is your selection style, book covers are a part of our library catalog. Looking at the cover is a quick and handy way to figure out if you want to go further.

-kls

*from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Over 400 reference books are available in Credo Reference through GALILEO.

Judging a book

"Don't judge a book by its cover"*. Yet, we all do it- we make snap judgements based on appearance. The appearance of a persons clothing, their physical shape, their facial expression. Yes, we assess a person immediately based on how they look and act. It has been a survival tool for humanity. How quickly can you decide if someone is friend or foe?

Today is the first day of Winter Quarter. People I've never met are coming into the library for the first time. They are coming to a conclusion about me as quickly as I am about them. I hope we both will be generous with our quick take.

*from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Over 400 reference books are available in Credo Reference through GALILEO.

Get the current password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

-kls

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

400 years and counting


Happy 400th Birthday to the King James Version of the bible! In honor of its quatercentenary anniversary, Gordon Campbell has written Bible: The story of the King James Version 1611-2011 [BS 186 .C367 2010].

It's a lively biography of the book that many consider the Word of God. The section that has most appeal to me is Appendix 1 :The companies and later revisers which has brief biographies of the scholars who worked so hard to create a work 'to be read in churches'. It is fascinating how Mr. Campbell uses the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography to flesh out the story of the Bible as we understand it. It is people who make history come alive!

-kls

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Sign up, now!

Registration for Winter Quarter is going on today.
Winter Quarter begins Thursday, January 6, 2011.

-kls

What happened today?

Using Google to search a date floods one with list after list. The first entry on my search for January 4 is Wikipedia. The Wikipedia list is broken up by events, births, deaths with a calender at the end which allows one to move from date to date.It is very handy for a rather comprehensive list of births and deaths.

If you're looking for a historical perspective on the date try GALILEO and look in the Annals of American History
Annals of American History "includes the full text of primary documents in American history, including historical accounts, speeches, memoirs, poems, editorials, landmark court decisions, and cultural criticism. This resource also has multimedia files, including hundreds of images and video and audio clips of famous speeches."

Put the date in quotes to help the database limit your search to that specific date- otherwise you'll get a conglomeration of January and 4 entries!

The document I found most interesting was the 1815 New England and the Union paper.
Moreover, as the convention's emissaries approached Washington, they were met by the news of General Andrew Jackson's unexpected victory at New Orleans. By the time the emissaries arrived, it was no longer possible to serve the kind of ultimatum contained in the convention's report.

Timing is everything. I wonder what the results would have been with today's instant messaging?

Get the current password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

-kls

Friday, December 17, 2010

Brain teaser for Christmas

Credo Reference sends out a weekly brain teaser. There are over 450 reference books available through a full subscription to Credo Reference. It is a superb resource for all our students but especially for our on-line students who can't get to one of the campus libraries!

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Welcome to the Friday Brainteaser from Credo Reference.

This week: Christmas
Our brainteaser is all about Christmas. We wish you all a happy one.

Questions:
1. Which rock group has returned its 1973 Christmas chart-topper "Merry Xmas Everybody" to the British charts at least eight times?
2. In which year did the "Christmas truce" occur?
3. Santa Claus is named after which saint?
4. What kind of tree is most commonly used as a Christmas tree?
5. Who wrote the 1973 picturebook "Father Christmas" in which Father Christmas lives in a terrace house with an outside toilet and an old-fashioned stove?
6. Who composed the Christmas Oratorio, first performed in 1734/35: Bach, Mozart or Beethoven?
7. What was the title of Phil Spector's 1963 Christmas album?
8. "A Christmas Carol" was the first of five "Christmas Books" by Charles Dickens which were published together for the first time in 1852. Can you name one of the other books in this collection?
9. What kind of bird is the "colly bird" (often changed to "calling bird") referred to in the traditional song "The Twelve Days of Christmas"?
10. On what date in the year is "Women's Christmas", also called "Small Christmas" or "Little Christmas"?

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

Check your answers by copying and pasting this link into your browser address bar: http://corp.credoreference.com/quiz

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!


About Credo Reference
The Friday Brainteaser is compiled using Credo Reference, an online reference library containing hundreds of searchable and browsable reference titles, audio files and images from reference books by leading publishers. With Credo, you can find accurate answers fast.

Thank you,
The Credo Reference team
brainteaser@credoreference.com


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-kls

Moving links

Delicious was one of the first Web 2.0 tools I latched onto. I loved how I could quickly and easily save and tag web sites for access from any computer. It became my favorite Favorites listing! Unfortunately, Delicious seems to be going away. The first announcement that registered in my brain was via ALA's Facebook. I've now exported both sets of my Delicious bookmarks.

The LM_NET list serve is a wealth of hints and tips. Someone on the list suggested this blog which has very clear directions on how to export the Delicious file. The blogger suggests several options for a 'new' portable Favorites. Over the break I'll be exploring my options!


-kls

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Where did it come from?

We talk about citations during each Library Instruction. A citation is so basic, so simple and so easy to do. All your reader wants to know is who did this, what is it called and how does the reader get a copy (author, title, and publisher). Why do people get so unnerved about doing a citation? The punctuation throws them off. Do we use commas, semi-colons, quotation marks, or italicize the title. It's the punctuation that gets one in trouble.

Many database vendors are including the citation format with their articles. Today as I looked at the History Channel, I noticed the Cite This link on the right side. How wonderful that a website is including the citation format.

It is important to tell your reader where the information you used came from. I am grateful for those who help me cite the source accurately.

-kls

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Look what is new!

Check out the new website for Chattahoochee Technical College.

Library info can quickly be found by using the Quicklinks drop down.

You may also find us by selecting Current Students, Student Resources, Library!


-kls

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Patchwork Nation

Patchwork Nation is a website that first came to my attention during the 2008 Presidential election. The authors use demographic and economic data to assign every county into one of 12 categories. These include designating counties as 'Boom Town,' 'Emptying Nests,' and 'Monied 'Burbs.' On the website, one can even find that an index is provided per county of how difficult it is to live in a particular county.

Cobb County is designated a 'Monied 'Burb.' Paulding, Bartow, Cherokee, Pickens, and Gilmer Counties all receive the designation of 'Boom Towns.'

The authors have maintained and updated the website since 2008. A companion book, with the same title, has recently been released. You can find out what local colleges and/or public libraries near you own the book by using the Worldcat database within Galileo.

-JWF

Monday, November 08, 2010

Happy Birthday X-Rays!

Today is the 115th anniversary of the discovery of x-rays! The Radiology degree offered at Chattahoochee Technical College teaches students operating standards and procedures for using the machine and other various forms of radiation technology for visualizing the interior of the human body. Check out the library catalog for more information on x-rays or the college catalog for information about the program.

~ lbm

What do you think!

The annual GALILEO user survey gives you the chance to sound off on your experience using GALILEO, and this year, gives you the chance to win an iPad. The survey will be available Monday, November 8—Sunday, November 14 from a link on the GALILEO website. Questions on the survey are designed to measure the satisfaction and identify the issues experienced by everyone who uses GALILEO. To help ensure a broad representation of users, please encourage others to participate. Your feedback is important!

You may get the password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.

-kls

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Library Guides Open House

As a faculty, staff, or student member of Chattahoochee Technical College, you need to be aware of the services provided by the school to help you succeed. Most of these services are free of charge, including the recently developed Library Guides.

Library Guides is a website dedicated to research assistance, subject guides, and other useful resources. Guides also access GALILEO databases and the college catalogue, which searches both campus print collections and ebooks.

In order to spread the word, the librarians will be attending different campuses throughout the Fall Quarter to instruct interested people in accessing and using the guides. On Monday, October 25th the Library Guide authors will have an Open House between 11:30AM to 1:00PM at the Austell Campus. Can't make it by 1:00PM? The library Open House will run until 6PM with Librarian Janice Levine and assistant Britney O'Mara as your guides. Refreshments will be served all day. Stop by and check it out!

In November, the librarians will be celebrating up in the northern part of the CTC community at the Woodstock and Jasper campuses. Stay tuned for more details and events as information becomes available.

~ lbm

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Something new

We are building our collection of electronic books. The joy of the electronic book is first and foremost, accessibility. We don't have the staff budget to be open 24 hours a day. Nor do students really want to drive to a campus to use the resources. The ability to find and use just the right book at any time and not leave home makes research a breeze.

We now subscribe to the Ovid e-book collection with 144 titles. I like being able to search through all the titles with one search. The Quick search box pulls up multiple references. On the right side of the selection I can select Ovid Full Text or Complete Reference. Complete Reference is the citation information. I wonder why they didn't just give the citation?

You can access Ovid from the CTC Library page! Scroll down to Nursing and Allied Health.

I'll explore Ovid's search features in another blog.

-kls

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Happy Birthday, Harlequin

Do you like to read what my grandmother referred to as 'trashy novels'? Some reviewers refer to the genre as 'bodice rippers'. In honor of Harlequin's 60th, they're offering 16 free book downloads (in pdf format). You may download one title, or all sixteen.

NoveList (in GALILEO) does have Harlequin titles in its database. I searched for a few of the free titles from the 60th anniversary offering. I didn't find them. I went to Advanced Search and looked for Harlequin as Publisher. 3209 titles were retrieved!

Happy reading from Harlequin and your public library!


-kls

Monday, October 11, 2010

Sailing the Ocean Blue

What do you really know about Christopher Columbus and his voyages? A subject search in our catalog revealed 14 titles for Christopher Columbus. Ten titles are available online giving you access to the books right this minute!

Mind you, two titles refer to an education book. I wondered what that title had to do with the explorer. When I clicked on the title catalog record, I saw immediately that a personal subject was C.C (Christopher Columbus).

My subject search turned up two titles that weren't right on target. Check your search and check the results to be sure you're getting the information you need!

-kls

Library Guides

It is the beginning of the quarter. The campus librarians are showing students our latest tool - Library Guides. We have 47 Library Guides covering an assortment of classes. Look and see if your course or program has a Library Guide! They are tweaked regularly after consults with instructors to make sure the resources noted accurately reflect the course and program!

-kls

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Who uses what

Did you know that one of the most important things that is noticed in a typical German business meeting is the type of pen a person uses?

I learned this through one of our newest library resources, the Global Road Warrior database. This database focuses on information about the various countries of the world. Going beyond the statistical and factual, the GRW provides information on etiquette, currency, food, holidays, almost everything a student would need to know about the country, all located in one spot.

Culinary Arts-The database contains information related to the cuisine of various countries. Specific examples and pictures are provided. There are also recipes from the various countries. I have linked to many of these pages through our Library Guides tool on the Culinary Arts guide- World Regional pages.

Digital Media and Entertainment Technology-The information about business etiquette and customs will be useful to our students as they enter the workforce. Also, there is detailed and specific information regarding different media outlets in various countries.

Interiors-The database has information and photographs on various architectural sites and points for each country. This is found under ‘points of interest.’


-jwf

You may get the login and password from your CTC campus librarian!



Thursday, September 30, 2010

Welcome...To the Library!

The first week of the fall quarter is always busy, especially with the record number of students attending CTC. You don't have to spend all your free time on campus parking or buying books; you may also browse your campus library during free periods. The libraries provide a vast Internet and print collection for programs, and other services such as faxing, copying, printing, and group/quiet study areas.

While the library is a family, each individual campus location provides something different for students. Satellite campus locations provide materials specific to programs taught on that campus, such as culinary materials at Mountain View or horticulture materials at North Metro. As the main branch, Marietta provides several more services than satellite campuses, including purchasing a copying card for copies and prints. Marietta also loans out games like checkers, chess, dominoes, and scrabble for interested students.

Our polices and procedures for borrowing materials and accessing online accounts are the same for each campus. Materials may be checked out for three weeks except at the end of the quarter. You may pick up or return materials to any CTC campus. You may also borrow books from our partner libraries at Kennesaw State University, Southern Polytechnic State University, Reinhardt College, and all other TCSG libraries. Please come into the library or ask your instructors for the new GALILEO password. For a quiet and clean environment, please keep all drinks, food, and children out of the libraries!

The library has more than 55,000 physical items plus 11,000 online resources. The librarians and library assistants are always willing to help students, faculty, and staff. Check the library home page for hours and locations nearest you.
lbm

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Criminology Today

Have you ever been interested in theories and practices in criminology today? Check out the book Fixing Broken Windows : Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in our Communities by George L. Kelling. Published in 1996, this book explores strategies to reduce and eliminate crime through community based policing. It can be found at the Paulding Campus Library or you may have it sent to a campus library location nearest you!

If you are interested in the theory but have no time to read the book, explore the subject in GALILEO. Under the “Browse by Subject” heading, click on “Government Information” for a drop down box of searching options, and then click on “Law and Criminology.” You'll be allowed to keyword search "Broken Windows" in Academic Search Complete, Legal Collection, Research Library (at ProQuest), and ProQuest Social Science Journals for articles matching your query. Remember to click both FULL TEXT SEARCH and PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES for the best up-to-date research articles available online.

lbm

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

What to read...

Good news students –

In a couple of weeks, the quarter will be over. Wondering what to do with all your free time? Read a book! Check out NoveList, an online readers' advisory tool that helps readers find new books based on books they've read or on topics in which they are interested. Located in GALILEO, it is the source for bookworms. Remember, you may stop by any CTC library to pick up the GALILEO password for off-campus access.

NoveList recently revamped their web site to a more user-friendly design. Located on the home page, patrons are shown current “Best Selling Books” with similar recommended titles listed below. By clicking on a book, patrons will be directed to a page listing the books descriptive and thematic qualities, reviews, and much, much more. Also located on the home page, a section on “How to use NoveList” is provided for patrons unsure on navigating the site.


You may always check the CTC library catalog to see if we carry any titles you may be interested in reading. Check out periods for the break are for currently preregistered and paid students, and must be returned (or renewed) by the first day of the new quarter.

Happy reading!

lbm

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

and they keep on coming

We subscribe to Credo Reference. They have passed the 500 titles mark in their Reference collection. It is a broad collection of Reference materials available 24/7. What I like about Credo Reference is its ease of use. A simple search box pulls up a wealth of information. Yet the Advanced search can limit my search to a specific title.

These are the latest additions:
• The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility, Wiley
• An African Biographical Dictionary, Grey House Publishing
• BCS Glossary of Computing and ICT, British Computer Society
• Encyclopedia of the Antebellum South, ABC-CLIO
• Encyclopedia of Consciousness, Elsevier Science & Technology
• The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments, CABI
• The Essentials of Philosophy and Ethics, Hodder Education
• A Financial History of Modern U.S. Corporate Scandals from Enron to Reform, M.E. Sharpe
• Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor, ABC-CLIO
• Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide, Wiley
• Myths and Legends of the Celts, Penguin


You can access Credo Reference through the CTC GALILEO and through our catalog with a patron login! Stop by any campus library to get the GALILEO password or to apply for your library account.


-kls

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

90 years ago today

Tennessee was the state that made it possible for all women in the United States to vote. From Exploring Constitutional Conflicts:
"In May, 1919, the necessary two-thirds vote in favor of the women suffrage amendment was finally mustered in Congress, and the proposed amendment was sent to the states for ratification. By July 1920, with a number of primarily southern states adamantly opposed to the amendment, it all came down to Tennessee. It appeared that the amendment might fail by one vote in the Tennessee house, but twenty-four-year-old Harry Burns surprised observers by casting the deciding vote for ratification. At the time of his vote, Burns had in his pocket a letter he had received from his mother urging him, "Don't forget to be a good boy" and "vote for suffrage."

Mothers have a great deal of influence.

Read more about the 19th Amendment by searching in GALILEO.

  • From the Browse by Subject page, select History

  • Scroll a bit in the drop down box and select History again

  • Six databases are preselected

  • There is the option to select more databases

  • I searched for 19th amendment and pulled up a wealth of articles


  • You may get the password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.

    -kls

    Tuesday, August 17, 2010

    How does your garden grow?

    Does your garden overflow with produce? Are your friends and neighbors smiling wanly as you try to 'give' away your bounty? What is a gardener to do?

    The librarians at North Georgia Technical College posted on their Facebook page, the suggestion that one check out the Hospitality and Tourism Complete database found in GALILEO.

    So I did and I discovered that....
    Hospitality & Tourism Complete covers scholarly research and industry news relating to all areas of hospitality and tourism. Coverage includes periodicals, company and country reports, and books from domestic and international sources. Subject areas include culinary arts, demographics and statistics, development and investment, food and beverage management, hospitality law, hotel management and administrative practices, leisure and business travel, market trends, technology, and more.


    I used eggplant for my subject.
    I limited my search to full text.
    I scrolled down and limited the Document Type to recipe.
    43 results were retrieved.
    Looks like there could be an opportunity for some fine cooking.

    Get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

    -kls

    Thursday, August 12, 2010

    I don't think we're in Kansas anymore

    Read about Google and their homage du Wizard of Oz on the 71st year of its existence!

    A search in GALILEO using wizard of oz as the search phrase turned up over a thousand articles. However, the first batch had nothing to do with the movie. I added garland as a second search term and that narrowed the results to just articles about the movie.

    Sometimes you think a search phrase will be specific enough until you see the results and realize- oops, need to narrow that down.


    -kls

    Thursday, August 05, 2010

    Sherpas

    My understanding of a sherpa is a person who guides the traveler through uncharted territory. We have created Library Guides for the instructors that have requested Library Instruction. We have created guides for specific courses as well as general programs. These guides serve as 'sherpas' for students - leading them to resources that might be considered inaccessible!

    Happy exploring!

    -kls

    Thursday, July 22, 2010

    Library Catalog: One Stop Shop for Resources

    Students, you can now access the library catalog from home! After you log in, you can review your library account, renew materials, update your address, and find passwords that are necessary for accessing library resources from off campus, including GALILEO.

    Stop by any campus library, create an account, and get started!

    lbm

    Wednesday, July 21, 2010

    July 21 - One small step

    Here is a YouTube video of an amazing day. If you want to read all about it - try some of the resources in GALILEO.

    I did a search using the History search screen.
    select Browse by Subject (main screen)
    ...select History
    .....select History

    I used one small step and moon as my search terms. A variety of articles pulled up to refresh my memory of that unbelievable day!

    You get the password to access GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

    -kls

    Who us?

    Could we become popular? NPR seems to think so.

    -kls

    Wednesday, July 14, 2010

    Vive la France

    Today being Bastille Day offers an opportunity to showcase our newest resource, Global Road Warrior.
    Global Road Warrior is a massive database of constantly updated proprietary editorial and graphics for 175 countries of the world. It provides deep content coverage in major topic areas of society and culture, travel, communications, business, trade, marketing, and security. Currently, the database has7,000,000+ words of editorial, 1,750+ country maps and 12,000+ photographs This product and others create a product line that distinguishes World Trade Press in the field of electronic data publication.

    It's easy to use. The opening page offers three options for searches. The screen is open and easy to navigate. I looked for a specific country (France) and a specific topic in the country (Bastille Day). Two articles were displayed. I selected the government one because of this paragraph:
    Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)

    Play inside Global Road Warrior, see what interesting tidbits you can find. I'd love to hear about your experience within our newest resource.

    -kls

    Bastille Day

    Today is Bastille Day, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris. This was one of the key early events of the French Revolution. Today, France is a republic similar to the United States. However, the economic crisis heralds great changes for the French. There is particular concern in France, as well as other European states, regarding the survival of the famous welfare system. Known for its low retirement age, modest work weeks, and generous vacation times, the French system is in danger due to budget shortfalls.

    A story regarding this matter is part of a recent NPR series on the European Union and its member states.

    -JWF

    Thursday, July 08, 2010

    Westlaw

    GALILEO is now providing Campus Research (Westlaw) instead of Lexis Nexis for our Business Law and Paralegal programs.

    I tried finding Westlaw in Databases A-Z under W. It wasn't there on July 1st or 2nd or 3rd. I finally put Westlaw in the Find A Database search box on the Databases A-Z page and voila Campus Research (Westlaw) in the C's came up!

    You will need to scroll through the access agreement and click on "I agree" to get to the Campus Research (Westlaw) database.

    It is different from Lexis Nexis. Our Business Law students will need to click on the Law tab (News & Business is the default screen). A search in Campus Research (Westlaw) is more forgiving than Lexis Nexis. One can use upper or lower case in the Find a Document by citation: (e.g., 98 S.CT 2733) search. For our Business Law students the left column with Find a Document by citation: (e.g., 98 S.CT 2733) will make searching very easy!

    I'll be playing with the Campus Research (Westlaw) with the Business Law instructor. As we discover helpful hints and tricks, I'll let you know what we discover!

    -kls

    Get the current GALILEO password from your Georgia librarian.

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    This Sunday July 11th will be the 50th anniversary of the publication of Harper Lee’s novel: To Kill A Mockingbird. There is an excellent article about the book and its anniversary on the USA Today website. 'To Kill a Mockingbird': Endearing, enduring at 50 years - USATODAY.com.

    The Marietta and Paulding campuses have print copies [PS3562 .E353 T6]. The Cliffs notes are available through NetLibrary. You do need to create your free account to use NetLibrary from an on campus computer.


    -kls

    Wednesday, June 16, 2010

    Pillars of the Earth

    from our Woodstock campus Librarian, Lauren Barnes :

    "Looking forward to the new TV movie THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH on Starz (July 23)?

    Read the book 1st! The CTC Libraries have 3 copies.This is a powerful story of medieval life written by the renowned author Ken Follett. Love, hate, murder, intrigue & mystery, suspense & action all revolving around the building of a medieval cathedral. Enjoy!"
    LB

    The local call number for Pillars of the Earth is PR6056. O45 P55 1989. Marietta, North Metro and Woodstock campus libraries have a copy. For more information about the novel try NoveList in GALILEO. NoveList has a discussion guide for Pillars of the Earth that will help you explore the deeper meaning to the story!


    kls

    You may get the current password for GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

    Tuesday, June 08, 2010

    Lazy days of summer


    Slowly but surely, the warm days build. What can one do when it gets too hot to play outside? NPR published a list of summer reading suggestions for 2010. They include a link to Nancy Pearl's list from 2009. I admit, I missed the list from 2009. I'm grateful for the North Metro campus Library assistants efforts at keeping all of us informed!

    I'm going to do Inter Library Loan (ILL) requests for the novels that intrigue me on Nancy's 2009 list! I'm thankful libraries are willing to share their resources.

    I'll go to GALILEO
    ...select Databases A-Z
    .....select W
    ........go to WorldCat
    -type the title
    -click search
    -then select "Borrow this item from another library"
    -fill in the form and our Inter Library Loan department will follow through!
    It takes about ten days to get a book through ILL. Well, worth the time.

    Get the password for GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.


    -kls
    The Nancy Pearl Action figure is prominently on display in my office!

    Thursday, June 03, 2010

    Bayeux Tapestry



    Clever bit of art and animated history! For more information about The Bayeux Tapestry-
    go to GALILEO
    ..select Browse by Subject
    ...select History
    ....select History again
    ......type in Bayeux Tapestry, select full text

    and then begin reading about this famous piece of needlework.

    Of course, you get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.

    -kls

    Wednesday, June 02, 2010

    Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

    As you sit here reading this blog, oil is gushing from an underwater pipe in the Gulf of Mexico. This not only affects the wildlife and the animals in the Gulf’s ecosystem, not only the tourist and tourism industries, not only the food and restaurant industries; this disaster affects you too.

    An entire region of America is changing every second and will never be the same again. Are you interested in learning more details about the destruction to the ecosystem? Are you interested in learning about the federal government and BP’s efforts to stop the oil spill? You can find answers to these questions and more from your library WEBSITE.

    To find information about oil debates and past spills, click on the FIND BOOKS link on the library’s main website. This will take you to the library catalogue, searching all campus libraries and ebooks (NETLIBRARY and EBRARY). Typing “OIL SPILLS” into the search tab brings up sixteen titles. Such titles include: Should drilling be permitted in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? and Before and after an oil spill [electronic resource] : the Arthur Kill. Remember, if logging in from home, you will need to have created a free account for NETLIBRARY. If the book is located in EBRARY, you may access it with your 900#.

    If you are more interested in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, click on the NEWSBANK link on the library’s main website. Located on the left is a “SPECIAL EVENTS” sidebar with WORLD ENVIRONMENT – GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL listed as number two. Click on the heading and it will direct you to news articles about the spill, starting from April 23, 2010. Remember, if logging into NEWSBANK from home, you must go through GALILEO first. Obtain the password from your college librarian!

    lbm

    Tuesday, May 11, 2010

    something more

    CTC Library subscribes to the online edition of Encyclopedia Britannica. Many folks are quick to use Wikipedia because it's just easy to get to online.

    Encyclopedia Britannica is easy to access through GALILEO. Encyclopedia Britannica has vetted resources - check out what they offer:

    The foundation of Britannica Online is the Encyclopedia Britannica, the largest, most authoritative encyclopedia in the world. You'll be happy to find the below features within Britannica Online Academic Edition :

    • Encyclopedia Britannica – All of the articles in the print set plus thousands more, as well as maps, photos, illustrations, videos, multimedia clips, and Yearbooks dating back to 1993 !
    • eBook / Primary Sources – Since Fall 2008, Britannica has been adding an extensive collection of eBook resources through a partnership with Project Gutenberg. Users are able to link from biographies and history articles to related full-text primary source documents. Britannica expects the collection to eventually have over 500,000 primary source documents. Some sample articles to check out include: Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, Abraham Lincoln, JFK, Herman Melville, and Thomas Jefferson. There will be no charge for this added service.
    • World Data Analyst – Britannica’s exclusive database of current and past statistics on the countries of the world
    • Gateway to the Classics – An extensive collection of significant works in literature, philosophy, history, and science
    • Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary & Thesaurus – Completely integrated into the site and easily accessible
    • Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Quotations – A lively collection of more than 4,000 quotations, both contemporary and classic
    • Full-text Journal and Magazine articles from EBSCO – more than 700 titles, hand-selected for college needs
    • BBC & New York Times daily headlines – top stories from two trusted sources
    • The Web’s Best – a collection of Web sites carefully selected by Britannica’s editorial department
    • World Atlas – Access Britannica maps through this interactive resource
    • Advanced search capabilities and Britannica’s exclusive “Workspace”, a research organizer.
    • Extensive video collection – over 3,000 videos and video clips that cover a variety of subjects, including History, Science, the Arts, and Social Studies. Video topics include Toulouse-Lautrec, Botticelli, Lewis & Clark, Asia, Ancient Cultures, World Wars, Economics, Native Americans, Insects, the Chaos Theory, and the expanding Universe, among others. Short video clips are 1-5 minutes long and full length extended play videos are between 15 to 45 minutes long. All videos can be played online or downloaded and used in Power Point Presentations.
    • Britannica Blog – stimulating dialogue covering a wide range of topics
    • Britannica’s Core Databases support Web 2.0 – Use the Share this Article and Widget features to publish selected articles and interactive topic widgets to your blog or Web site. Interact with Britannica Blog, our award-winning (2008 CODiE) moderated forum and blog. Store, organize and share your research with the Workspace tool. Interact with the Internet by clicking on Britannica’s Web’s Best Sites.

    Get the password to access GALILEO from your Georgia librarian!

    -kls