Read and study

After Lincoln became a well-known lawyer, he sometimes received inquiries from people who aspired to become lawyers. He wrote: “Get the books and read and study them till you understand them in their principal features; and that is the main thing….It is of no consequence to be in a large town while you are reading. I read at New Salem, which never had three hundred people living in it. The books, and your capacity for understanding them, are just the same in all places.” April 2004 [More}

In GALILEO articles from thousands of newspapers, journals, and magazines are available. One can create an RSS feed or an e-mail alert in several of the 'big' databases to have current articles delivered as they are made available. With wi-fi, GALILEO is a portable library. One isn't constrained by opening hours or a physical location. keeping Lincoln's remarks in mind, it doesn't matter where you are, just read and study till you understand.

To access this portable treasure ask your Georgia librarian for the current password.



-kss

Early birds

Early registration for Spring Semester started on Monday. The registration rush didn't impact the library, but I could see students in the Success Center working with advisors. Access to Banner was calculated on the number of hours a student had completed. Tomorrow (October 13th) Banner is open to all currently enrolled students.

Early registration ensures a place in the very class you need to finish your program. The first Fee Payment deadline is December 2nd at noon.

The early bird does get a seat in the desired class.

-kss

Hunting

Looking for information about the Hunters Moon, I ran across a blog that referred to the Harvest Moon poem by Mary Oliver. Mark Zeiger shared that his Dad sang "Shine on Harvest Moon" in a Barber Shop quartet.

Could I find the lyrics in one of the GALILEO databases?

I used the search box in the Databases A-Z tab.
...I looked for lyrics- nothing.
...I looked for music - and 5 resources were retrieved.
The two Ebsco databases looked most promising.

I opened Academic Search Complete. It took me awhile to remember to use Advanced Search to be able to limit my search to a type of article. I figured 'poem' might pull up the lyrics. I was wrong. A search for the phrase "Shine On Harvest Moon" pulled up 9 articles that referred to the song. None had the complete lyrics.

It still was informative to read a few of the articles. I picked the obituary, the article about a seniors music group, and a description of a seniors camping trip.

The seniors music group started with the first four lines of the refrain.

I did find a portion of the lyrics - just not the complete song laid out in a way I could count as 'lyrics'. Exploring on the official Columbus Day, I found something, just not what I was aiming for!


-kss

To use GALILEO off campus you need the current password. You may get the current password from your Georgia librarian.

Hunters Moon

image by joiseyshowaa

Farmers Almanac shared the October

... full Moon is often referred to as the Full Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Many moons ago, Native Americans named this bright moon for obvious reasons. The leaves are falling from trees, the deer are fattened, and it’s time to begin storing up meat for the long winter ahead. [more...]

Roland Leach lectured about Mary Oliver's work. In ‘Hunter’s Moon - Eating the Bear’ [from Twelve Moons : Poems by Mary Oliver] "the Indians eat the meat of another creature but are shown to respect all life as sacred. Moreover, the death is not an end but the bear now becomes part of a greater cycle where it is a source of energy that infuses other life.... The Indian persona speaks respectfully and with awe of the relationship that now exists exists between himself and the dead bear"[more..]

Hunters Moon -- Eating the Bear, begins with a greeting:

Good friend,
it is a long afternoon.
The shadows of the pines are blue on the field
When I find you,
I am going to turn the world inside out.
The rocks around you will melt,
your heart will fall from your body.
And I will step out over the fields.......

and ends with

the pines you can no longer see
will be twisted and small, their shadows
stretching out, still turning around
in the small sinews of my prayers
some invisible dead center.

Read the complete poem on page 50, when you check out Twelve Moons : Poems by Mary Oliver [PS 3565 .L5 T9].

-kss

Go where?

To find the valuable intel. Thank you, Parker and Hart.


-kss

Go West, Young Man

Go west, young man! [electronic resource] : Horace Greeley's vision for America by Coy F. Cross takes the phrase we are familiar with and explains what it all means:

When twenty-year-old Horace Greeley arrived in New York City to start a printing business in 1831, he did not suspect that his faith in hard work and frugality would soon be tested by the worst financial depression in U.S. history to that date. Although Greeley survived and prospered, his concern for the urban unemployed prompted him to search for a universal solution—the safety valve of land in the West.
For the rest of his life, Greeley used his position as editor of the New York Tribune and occasional politician to promote his agrarian utopian ideology. Cross examines here Greeley's efforts in favor of four important factors in westward expansion[more...]

This title is available through our electronic book collection. It can be downloaded onto a variety of electronic readers.

I went to look at how this might work, though I don't have an electronic reader. You will first create a free account in Ebsco, which will be useful for any of the Ebsco databases. Maximum check out is for 7 days. I checked a title out for 1 day. When I go look at the book, the timer is running to tell me how many hours I have left to use the title. When I have the book checked out, no one else can use it.

I'll let you know what happens when the 24 hours are up.



-kss

Looking East

Columbus was trying to reach the East by going west. The plan was to find a shorter (quicker) trade path to the delicacies westerners had come to desire. The world was a bit bigger than he realized.

Today we marvel at how small the world has become because of the speed of information access.

The internet has tied us together in ways Columbus could never imagine. A Google search can reveal information about companies and products that are available world wide. But if we aren't sure of the name of a company or what could be available, how do we know what terms to use in our search?

I was scrolling through GALILEO and noticed ProQuest Asian Business and Reference which 'offers detailed information on companies, economies, markets, and overall business conditions throughout the Eastern Hemisphere'.

This could be a source for foundational information about Asian business. I clicked on publications. They have 318 publications. There are 67 Trade Journals. I scrolled through the list of Trade Journals.

The longest running trade journal in the database is The Banker [ISSN 0005-5395‎] from 1971 to the present. The issues from 2006 to the present are full text. Earlier issues offer a link to search for a library that has the issue. An intriguing note about the current issue of The Banker [ISSN 0005-5395‎]is the articles concerning Nigeria and Guatemala. It's not just about Asian businesses.

Explore the East without venturing across uncharted waters!




-kss

The Ocean Blue

To set out on a journey with only the stars as your guide takes a great deal of courage. Today we have GPS to pinpoint our exact location. We have charts of coastlines.

Through GALILEO, we have access to World Atlas (Encyclopaedia Britannica). We have a choice of views : map, satellite, and terrain. It's fairly easy to navigate in and out. To look at a particular state in the United States, you search for United States, then close in on the area and move around with the pan button and the zoom in/out tab on the left.


GALILEO (you need the current password which is available from your Georgia librarian)...select Databases A-Z
......select W
.........World Atlas (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

-kss

Columbus sailed

Our History Library Guide focuses on post American Revolution history. Though, one can find links to solid resources for information about the early explorers.

-- The books tab has a search box for Credo Reference.
-- The articles tab has links to resources in GALILEO - World History Collection, History Reference Center, and Annals of American History.

Annals of American History includes a letter written by Christopher Columbus, dated March 14, 1493 which describes the lands and people he had seen.

Christopher Columbus isn't held in the same high esteem he once was, but he started the procession of 15th century Europeans crossing the Atlantic like it was a pond.

You will need the current password to access these databases through GALILEO

-kss

In fourteen hundred ninety-two

(image courtesy of Open Library)

I, Columbus : my journal, 1492-3 [E118 .I2 1990] Follows the voyages of discovery made by Christopher Columbus through excerpts from the journals he kept of his travels.

-kss

Leaves of three, let them be

While out in the wilds watching the birds, you may notice what the bird is nesting in or sitting on or hovering over. You might even wonder what you are nesting in or sitting on or hovering over.

Is that what you think it is? Do you really want to touch it?

Our Horticulture library guide has links to a plethora of plant ID web sites. We collect these sites for our students to use while studying to compete at PLANET : Student Career Days.

Before you wander in the woods, you might want to get an idea of what you'll encounter!

-kss

Look, look

Birding for beginners : a comprehensive introduction to the art of birdwatching by Sheila Buff [QL677.5 .B793 2010] shelved at the Marietta campus.

Whether you're traveling to an exotic bird habitat or just interested in better appreciating the avian wonders in your own backyard, Sheila Buff helps novice birdwatchers get the most out of the popular pastime of birding. Starting with where and how to find birds to identify, Birding for Beginners offers an engaging explanation of the basics-- the jargon used, the equipment needed, how to use a field guide, how to create and maintain lists, how to plan a trip into the field, etc. And, of course, the brightly illustrated pages are chock-full of detailed identification techniques, both visual and aural.[more...]

Though this title is at the Marietta campus, we move books from campus to campus through the courier system. Ask your campus librarian to have the title sent to your campus- just in time for a cool autumn afternoon spent watching the birds.


-kss

Tweet, Tweet

It's not about Twitter but All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). This is a website from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that includes information about watching birds, learning their nesting behaviors, attracting birds, identifying them, recording observations, and getting involved in bird conservation. The site includes guides, images, maps, sounds, videos, and much more. There is also a link to the Macaulay Library, an archive of animal sounds and videos.

The nice thing about GALILEO is that it is a 'library' for online learning in Georgia. The librarians at GALILEO gather not only subscription databases but quality web sites that are of interest to Georgians.

To supplement the web site, All About Birds , Georgia Wildlife Resources Division provides lists of wildlife management areas in the 7 regions of Georgia that are perfect for bird watching.

With the moderate temperatures and the leaves beginning to thin a bit, who knows what you might see when you take a moment to just watch what is going on around you.



-kss

68

I just presented Library resources to an English 1010 class. I noticed we have 68 Library Guides not 67. We are a prolific bunch of resource sharers. We are adding new guides weekly. You may search by Librarian to see at a glance who has done what.


-kss

Ah that feels better

Yes, I'm looking forward to being an exam subject this afternoon.

Our PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) program has its own Library Guide. The guide pulls together CTC resources the student will find useful while completing their program.

We have 67 Library Guides. There are guides for programs, special topics (like citations), and for specific classes. Our library guide layout seems fairly clear with a tab for Books, Articles, Internet, and How do I information. Please do check them out!





-kss

The back is grateful

Our PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) program offers massages to faculty and staff once a year. The massage is an exam for the students. It's a great way for the students to demonstrate to their instructor that they do know what they are doing with a real live person. It's a treat for the faculty and staff to have an hour of massage. A win/win for everyone.

To support our health science programs, we subscribe to Anatomy TV : Systemic Anatomy (there's a green check next to the the portion we subscribe to). The systems I looked at are broken down into line drawings with multiple slides showing different views of the same system. Rolling the cursor over a portion of the drawing allows you to select that portion and have a detailed explanation on the right.

Anatomy TV does require a separate login or access through GALILEO. Your campus librarian can give you the passwords for both ways of accessing Anatomy TV.

-kss

Minutes only tell part of the story

Have you ever read the minutes of a meeting you did not attend? Especially the minutes from an organization you have no tie to?

American Turpentine Farmers Association Minute Books, 1936-1999 provide the administrative record of the American Turpentine Farmers Association (ATFA), which was established in March of 1936 by Judge Harley Langdale of Valdosta, Georgia, along with 900 other men from the Southern turpentine industry. ATFA was formed to represent the interests of gum naval stores factors, producers, and dealers in the United States "turpentine belt" (Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas). Activities of the American Turpentine Farmers Association (ATFA) document the interconnection of land use and environmental stewardship to the broader issues and policies of modern Georgia's rural development.

The minutes are arranged in blocks of years. You can read them straight through. There is a full text search box. The timeline gives one an overview of the association.

As I read the minutes, I was intrigued by Judge Harley Langdale. I do genealogy research for fun. From reading the minutes, Judge Langdale seems like an interesting and focused person. The timeline notes Langdale died in 1972. I read the 1972 and 1973 minutes looking for a memorial for him. There wasn't anything. I did a search for his name in the minutes. The last mention of him in the minutes was in 1965 when he resigned as President and Director. He was elected President emeritus at that meeting.

I wonder why they didn't mention him in the 1972 or 1973 minutes? There is a book about the Langdale family : Judge Harley and his boys: the Langdale story By John E. Lancaster. There are 19 references to ATFA in The Langdale Story.

The minutes don't tell the whole story but they lead one to wonder what the back story might be. American Turpentine Farmers Association Minute Books, 1936-1999 are available through GALILEO and the open web.


-kss

Searching

There is an art to creating a successful search strategy. In the 'olden' days when only print resources were available, one went to the largest library collection one could access. Large libraries were usually in a big city or connected with a university level academic institution. Once inside the building, one sought the skills and knowledge of the Reference Librarian to guide you to those resources that would best answer the question at hand. What do you do now?

Do you go to Google and type in the word or phrase? Do you trust that Googles' search algorithm will pull up just what you're looking for?

Several TCSG librarians attended a GALILEO webinar on the way federated search works in GALILEO. It was a fascinating history of buyouts and change among the vendors who provide federated search software. The bottom line was- no federated search program will be perfect. The programs look inside individual databases and pull information. The difficulty is coordinating with how each database searches for information inside themselves?

It's not like going to an apple orchard and picking apples. There are pumpkin vines, blueberry bushes, potato vines and pecan trees mixed in this information orchard. Each one requires a different way of plucking the produce. Google skims the surface of public information while the federated search goes into private orchards where each vendor has arranged the information in a special way!

It begins to explain why the new federated search at GALILEO isn't bringing up results in the way one might expect.

The vendor will keep tweaking the system! Remember that your librarian can help you find information.



-kss

The coughing begins

The doors to the library open, accompanied by a cough. A cough without a hand over the mouth. A cough spreading those little germs everywhere. The pictures of people wearing masks always troubled me but today, I wish I had one.

We do have two library guides that support our specific programs dealing with health issues : Nursing and ECCE 1105 Health, Safety and Nutrition.

Side note - I received an email from a teacher who had used our ECCE 1105 Health, Safety and Nutrition guide with her high school health class. It's always nice to hear when a resource we put together for our particular programs helps someone else.

Back to our regularly scheduled program - Library guides. The two guides that were created forNursing and Early Childhood Care and Education both have books, articles and web sites that provide accurate and up to date information on health issues dealt with by those programs.

I'm pretty sure that Early Childhood Care and Education deals with preventing colds and flu from running through a pre-school center! I should go check those links out. Maybe there's something I could do here in the library to ward off the seasonal ills.


-kss

Naturally healthy

I am focusing on health today. The air feels full of 'something'.

I looked at Alt Health Watch in GALILEO. I found articles I could read, print, and email.

I think I'd really like something I could snuggle up with (and I don't have a tablet).

A search in the CTC catalog for Cold and flu pulled up 7 titles. The everything guide to herbal remedies : an easy-to-use reference for natural health care by Martha Connors, seems most likely to have something helpful. Chapter six has a section on kids, colds, and flu. Chapter 13 describes better cold and flu remedies.

It's not helpful for prevention but if I'm being prescient about what is in the air, I may need the cures sooner rather than later.


-kss

Sniffle, sniffle

A change in the outside temperature sometimes causes the body to succumb to a little bug or two. Are there authoritative hints and tips to avoid picking up that virus? Yes, I know a Google search would provide a ton of sites to wade through, but where might I find science based articles that I could share with friends and family?

In GALILEO, the Ebsco database AltHealth Watch "focuses on multiple perspectives of complementary, holistic, and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. Full-text content comes from more than 180 international peer-reviewed and professional journals, magazines, reports, proceedings, and association and consumer newsletters, plus hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research, and book excerpts. "

I went to GALILEO
...Selected Databases A-Z
.....Selected A
.......Scrolled to AltHealth Watch
I did a search for viruses, limited the search to 2007-2011. Viruses pulled up all sorts of articles on topics from HIV to weight gain. From a quick scan the results weren't what I thought I wanted.
I then did a search for colds and flu, again limited to 2007-2011. This time 71 titles were retrieved. The second title specifically addressed prevention. When I opened that article, I noticed the specific subject "COLD (Disease) -- Prevention". Clicking on this link brought 70 articles that specifically addressed my concern- how to avoid getting sick!

Now this is what I was looking for. There is an e-mail icon to the right that allows me to send this article to myself and others. A handy way to share accurate, timely information about a subject we are all interested in.

The current GALILEO password is available from your Georgia librarian.



-kss

Scanner

Lauren Barnes, campus librarian at the Woodstock campus, shared directions for utilizing the scannner/e-mail component on the Ricoh Aficio MP 3351. This is a nifty aspect for students who, instead of copying, would rather scan an article and e-mail the result to themselves. It does not cost to scan. This saves the ten cent copier cost!

I realized the North Metro campus copier did not have the function activated. Now it does! Thank you, Lauren for sharing. Thank you, IT for quickly implementing this feature.

Scan away!



-kss

Oh Happy Day!!!!

Oh Happy Day! Oh Happy Day!

This e-mail just arrived:

GALILEO is happy to announce that eBooks can now be checked out and downloaded onto many different devices from eBooks on EBSCOhost (formerly NetLibrary.) This functionality is available to all GALILEO institutions who have purchased Solinet/Lyrasis Shared Collections via GALILEO:

• University System of Georgia
• Technical College System of Georgia [This is us!]
• AMPALS
• GPALS
• Public Libraries

Users will now see the option "Download (Offline)" appearing within the record for each eBook. When a user selects this option, they will be prompted to sign into their My EBSCOhost account. If the user does not have a My EBSCOhost account, they will be asked to create one. Once the user logs in, a screen will appear where the user can select the "Check out Period" and then download the eBook.

In order to view the eBook on their device, the user will need to download Adobe Digital Editions 1.7.1 or higher. This is necessary to manage the checkout process.

The following GALILEO FAQ provides access to a word document that outlines this download process, provides a link to Adobe Digital Editions, and also provides a list of all supported devices.
http://help.galileo.usg.edu/faqs/how_can_i_view_ebooks_in_ebooks_at_ebscohost/

If you have any questions regarding this new functionality, please submit a comment to GALILEO Support Services via our Contact Us form.

Oh happy day!

-kss

The Road Less Traveled

Wanderlust hits as the heat of summer is pushed away by the chill of autumn. Where to go, what to see, can I even get away for a weekend? The Atlas of North America has joined the Atlas Stand by the door, with our collection of dream makers.

From Amazon, the School Library Journal Starred Review: This exhaustive, authoritative resource presents a dynamic view of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Well organized, with an appropriate balance of written and visual material, the book opens with two pages of statistics that provide information on the population, capital, and area of states, provinces, and largest cities; records pertaining to temperatures, rainfall, and volcanic eruptions; and largest rivers and lakes, etc. [...more]

Begin the journey by exploring the pages of this atlas!

-kss

Program or Course

The majority of our 67 Library Guides are for individual courses. We have thirteen general program guides.

The Early Childhood Care and Education guide offers an overview of resources that will help a student succeed in the program.


Get a jump on what resources are available, including the Jobs page.


-kss

A light shines

The Statue of Liberty is on my mind today. I searched in our catalog, by subject, for statue of liberty. Four titles are in our collection, two are electronic books.

The childrens book The Statue of Liberty by Gina Strazzabosco-Hayn is available through EBSCO. Click on the link in the catalog and you're at the EBSCO page. There's the cover image to the right but to open the book, you do not click on the cover. For me, that's a failing of the database. You need to look to the left and click on the link e-book full text.

I'm not sure children's books in this database are useful for the children. I can see how having Children's literature available 24/7 would be very helpful for our Early Childhood Education students. I need to tell them about this!

Ask your campus librarian for the userid and password to access the EBSCO e-book collection off campus.

-kss

One more look

Advanced Placement Source

is designed to meet the needs of high school students enrolled in various AP courses. It contains more than 5700 full-text journals and over 300,000 photos, maps and flags. Subject areas include mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, human geography, psychology, economics & statistics; government & politics; environmental science; U.S., European and world history; the arts and music.

I might have skipped over this resource just because it says it's designed to "meet the needs of high school students". Skipping it would have been a mistake!

It's an EBSCO product, the search is fairly straightforward. The opening screen allows me to limit my search in 'image quick view' to B&W, color, map, diagram, illustration, graph, and chart (or all).

I searched for Statue of Liberty, limiting the search to a Quick image in B&W, Color, and illustration. The option to e-mail the article/photo with the appropriate citation (MLA, APA, AMA, Chicago Turabian, Harvard) makes this a very handy resource for accurate citing of image sources.

This is the MLA Works cited for this photo:
"STATUE OF LIBERTY: The Statue of Liberty as seen from the Hudson River in New York on September 11, 2006. (UPI Photo/Laura Cavanaugh)." (2006): Image Collection. EBSCO. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.

Most EBSCO resources have the Cite link in the toolbar on the right. For this database you will need to e-mail yourself the citation. I suggest emailing articles and citations to oneself just to make sure you get all the details. I admit to leaving off some pertinent point when I'm writing the citation. The email version gives me everything I'll need for a complete citation, incuding punctuation.

To access this database, you do need the current password to GALILEO available from your Georgia librarian. Go to Databases A-Z, select A, scroll to Advanced Placement Source


-kss

From Huck Finn to Harry Potter: Banned Book Week

Each year at the end of September, Banned Book Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to read and emphasizes the importance of free and open-access to information. The books that make the list have been subjected to possible banning within the United States. However, due to librarians, teachers, and book sellers, in most cases these titles have not been banned.

In this day and age even if a book is removed from the shelves in a school library, there is a high chance you would be able to find this material in a bookstore or public library. Perhaps over the years there has been a hype made around Banned Book Week, which overshadows how challenging books decades ago, may have impacted availability of the title. For example, the Online Books Page notes that Ulysses by James Joyce was banned from the United States as obscene for fifteen years until 1933. The book was seized by U.S Postal Authorities during that time. However, perhaps this hype around BBW helps prevent banning and censorship by allowing people to acknowledge that books are still challenged today.

The top ten challenged books in the United States for 2010 were:

1) And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
2) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
3) Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
4) Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
5) The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins;
6) Lush, by Natasha Friend
7) What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
8) Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich
9) Revolutionary Voices, edited by Amy Sonnie
10) Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

For more information about Banned Book Week and why these and other titles continue to be challenged, please visit the ALA website.
For other general information on banned books visit The Online Books Page at the University of Pennsylvania.


-BCO

Archive vs Complete

ABI/INFORM Archive (at ProQuest)

contains a complete run of key business and management journals, providing a unique historical perspective on hundreds of topics, including corporate strategies, management techniques, marketing, product development and industry conditions worldwide, available in cover-to-cover full images, complete with illustrations and advertisements.

I clicked on ABI/INFORM Archive (at ProQuest) by mistake. I was really trying to get to ABI/INFORM Complete (at ProQuest). As long as I had both open, I thought I'd see what the difference is between them. Very intriguing. The Archive has limited runs of publications i.e. 1986-1990 for American Business Law Journal , while Complete has three sections of American Business Law Journal, 1971- present, 1963-1985, 1986-1990.

What's up with that, as the colloquial saying goes. I did a compare and contrast on the Winter 1986, vol. 23(4) issue. The Archive has 20 pdf files which include the cover, the individual advertisements, the table of contents and the articles. Complete just lists the 7 articles.

If you want to 'see' the publication, going to the Archive would be the best bet. Using the Archive might be helpful for advertising, marketing, and visual communication students.

You may access these databases in GALILEO.
..Select Databases A-Z
....Select A
......ABI/Inform Archive is first, ABI/Inform Complete is second

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


-kss

What do I say?

Writing a formal business letter makes me nervous. How picky will the recipient be if I put a comma in the wrong place? Will they notice my run on sentence? Should I put their address above the salutation? What do I say in the salutation? How about the closing? Is it Yours, Sincerely, Always, or just my name? That just the technical part, what about the content, the meaning, the tone of my words?

Preparing for an ENGL 1010 class where the assignment is to write a persuasive Business Letter, I ran across "The AMA handbook of business documents [electronic resource] : guidelines and sample documents that make business writing easy" by K.(Kevin)Wilson, K. [HF5726 ONLINE RESOURCE 2011]. It's an electronic book in our EBSCO (formerly NetLibrary) collection.

The AMA Handbook of Business Documents takes the guesswork out of preparing firstclass written pieces of every type. Packed with dozens of sample documents and practical tips, this handy guide is everything you need to create:
Proposals • Memos • E-mails • Press releases • Collection letters • Speeches • Technical, research and lab reports • Sales letters • Policies and procedures • Warning letters • Announcements • And much more
Suited equally to executives, entrepreneurs, managers, and administrative staff—anyone charged with putting a business’s intentions into words—The AMA Handbook of Business Documents is a versatile, powerful, and indispensable toolbox. [more]

Don't be afraid, there is help! You do need a login and password to use this title off campus. That information is available from your campus librarian.


-kss

Try me

Thanks to Lauren Barnes, Woodstock campus librarian, for creating the QR code!

-kss

E-book survey

One of our electronic book vendors has requested that we ask students to participate in a survey of electronic book use. This vendor did a survey in 2008. They'd like to compare the results from then till now. A presentation is planned for a November conference.

If you're a student and would like to tell a vendor what you think about electronic books - here's the link to the e-reader 2011 survey. It will remain open till October 7.


-kss

How do I fix that dish?

Finding a recipe online is so simple. A search with Google pulls up innumerable recipe sites. A plethora of resources! One can even type 'recipe : ingredient' and find more information about using that single ingredient than you can imagine!

But what if, what if you were in a waiting area, perusing a magazine and you read the perfect recipe for a meal you were planning. Do you rip out the page? I hope not. Do you ask the office staff if they would copy the page for you or let you borrow the magazine? This is a viable option (and gracious towards others who use the waiting area). Yet, there's another option!

ProQuest has a search limiter for recipes.
Go to GALILEO
Get the current password from your Georgia librarian.
...Select databases A-Z
....Select P
......Select ProQuest
.........Select Advanced Search (link just above the right side of the search box)
....Change the drop down to Publication
....Type in the magazine title. If you aren't sure if ProQuest has the title you're looking for- go to the Publications link and search for the title. Click on the title and you can search within it! I found Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Gourmet. There are thousands of other magazines.
....For the next search box, leave it Full text
....Type in the recipe title or ingredients
.....Scroll down to Document type- select recipe
...Search

All the recipes in that magazine with the specific ingredient or title are retrieved.
You can limit your search by year or issue, as well.

Happy hunting and cooking and enjoying.

-kss

Black Forest Cuicine

What do you immediately think of when you hear Black Forest cuisine? I thought of the cake.

Black forest cuisine : the classic blending of European flavors [TX721.S73 2006X ]by Walter Staib is available at the Mountain View campus.

From Publishers Weekly - For the uninitiated, this collection of recipes makes an apt introduction to the cuisine of southwest Germany. Inflected with French, Swiss and Italian traditions, Black Forest cookery goes beyond the sauerkrauts, wursts and späetzles we associate with German food—though there's plenty of that here, too. In his introduction, the chef/owner of Philadelphia's historic City Tavern reveals that there are many similarities between the postwar eating habits of his native Black Forest and the 18th-century American dishes he now serves on a nightly basis ....[more]

Now I know what to borrow for the weekend so I can create my own Oktoberfest at home!

-kss

An app for that

Temperature changes create an opportunity for a seasonal illness. When the symptoms appear and someone suggests you try a certain over the counter drug, can you research that drug while out and about?

Now you can - Micromedex 2.0 has mobile access to the complete database for iPhone/iPad, Blackberry, and Android Devices! Check with your campus librarian for the app directions. Don't let a little sniffle get you down.

-kss

Ooom pa pa

It is the first Monday of Autumn. This past weekend, the mountain town of Helen, Georgia held their Oktoberfest. I missed the event. Could I create the dishes of Oktoberfest at home?

Chattahoochee Tech has a Culinary program based at the Mountain View campus. The Library Guide for Culinary Arts is in the Program and Special Topics area.

The wonderful thing about the Library Guides is their versatility. Each tab for our guides designates one type of resource, Books, Articles, and the Internet. Jeff Fisher, the author of the Culinary Arts Library Guide has created drop down pages for various countries. This creates an 'at a glance' venue which includes books available through CTC and specific databases with information on the country.

Yes, there's a page for Germany noting various cookbooks of German food. I think I can do this!


-kss

Rethinking

The images photographers produce make picture taking seem so effortless.

There is a new title on the Mountain View campus shelf, Rethinking digital photography : making & using traditional & contemporary photo tools by John Neel, that might help the struggling picture taker.

The catalog record abstract offers clues to the content : Demonstrates how to create innovative photographs through the use of digital cameras, current software, and such unconventional methods as homemade lenses made with household items or parts from obsolete cameras.

The weekend is coming up, the fall colors beckon, maybe I'll take pictures that illustrate exactly what I mean when I mention autumn.


-kss

What does it look like?

Still thinking about finding visuals. There is a database in GALILEO just for Images [EBSCO].

The images consist of a wide array of photos and maps, with an emphasis on world news and events. Other areas of coverage include contemporary and historical photos of people, places, and the natural kingdom.

The nice thing about using the EBSCO product is they'll create a citation for you. I don't see the cite link on the page but when I click on the email icon, there is the citation format. I tested it by e-mailing myself. A citation and a permalink arrive with this helpful disclaimer

NOTE: Review the instructions at and make any necessary corrections before using. Pay special attention to personal names, capitalization, and dates. Always consult your library resources for the exact formatting and punctuation guidelines.

This resource makes it easier to find and cite pictures to illustrate a presentation.

-kss

For access to Images [EBSCO] in GALILEO get the current password from your Georgia librarian.

Finding and citing images

Yesterdays thoughts about autumn, fall, color, led to searching for appropriate images. This search led me to our Library Guides where we have a specific guide to help students find just the right visual for their project.

Those who use visuals in their work must give credit where credit is due. How do you cite a picture you've plucked off the Internet? Our guide has a page of examples of MLA and APA citations for pictures from a book or from the web. There are web sites with 'free' pictures that use Creative Commons licensing.

Honor the work of those who labor by giving them credit in an appropriate citation!


-kss

A picture is worth what?

Autumn colors are permeating my thoughts. The wisps of red and yellow are beginning to show up on the trees. Georgia doesn't get the grand swaths of bright color like New England. To give me a boost, I went looking for a book of autumnal photos. I thought a Timber Press book, My Garden in Autumn and Winter [ISBN:9780881924596,
in Ebsco books would give me that visual punch. But there were no pictures.

I began to think oops- no pictures in Ebsco books, that's not good. I did another search specifically for Timber Press and the first book I opened [Bulbs] had pictures. I'm not sure why one title does and one does not. Could there really be no pictures in the Timber Press book, My Garden in Autumn and Winter by E. A. Bowles [ISBN:9780881924596]?

If you have the print edition of this title, would you share if there are pictures?


-kss

Know it all

Researchers, serious people who are hunting for a specific piece of information, attend workshops and seminars on individual resources. They learn how to make one resource stand up and be counted.

How do you get the same sort of control over a search through Google? Trial and error, asking friends, posting queries on lists are ways to learn the ins and outs of Google searches.

Google has an Improve your Search Experience page. There you'll find hints and tips on getting exactly what you want from the world wide web.

Use the Tutorials, the Help Screens, the Ask Us links on every resource. Reinventing the wheel with each search seems counterproductive.


-kss

Beta

Beta tests can be lots of fun. You get to try it before anyone else. You have the thrill of discovery (and sometimes the agony of defeat).

I stumbled upon the ARRC (Auto Repair Reference Center) Beta for Ebsco. Oh my goodness, you will be delighted. I've talked about ARRC several times. It's kind of clunky but full of information. The ARRC Beta - well, apples and oranges couldn't be more alike.

I found it when I was kicked out of Ebsco books. I clicked on the Ebsco link, there is a list of Ebsco products, I scrolled down looking for Books and saw the ARRC Beta.

The difference is not in the information offered but in the 'look'.

With the 'old' ARRC, one made a selection for year, went to another page, selected the make, went to another page, selected the model,went to another page for the detailed vehicle. A final page contained links to the information.

The 'beta' ARRC has almost every search option on one page with drop down boxes for selection. The visual is much more appealing! There are links to the Auto IQ, the Care, and the Troubleshooting tips.

How do you get to the Beta ARRC?
Log into GALILEO you may get the current password from your Georgia librarian
....select Databases A-Z
.....select E
......Select EBSCO Databases
.......Scroll down to the bottom of the list for ARRC Beta

It's a great day to play!

-kss

Fall Leaves

Yesterday, a student asked if I thought Libraries were going to exist in the future. This query came up at the end of a Library Instruction class. An instruction session where I showed the very basics of searching in our catalog and one of the databases available. I laughed and said, yes, because Librarians know where the information is and how to find it.

Here's an example of why Librarians will be around in the future. As I drive to work, I am struck by the leaves that are beginning to change color, autumn is such an emotional transition between the heat of summer and the cold of winter. I want to find a poem that illustrates my feelings.

We'll use LION Literature Online which

is a full-text library of over 330,000 works of British and American poetry, drama and prose. In addition to literary texts, LION includes biographical sketches of major writers, selected author bibliographies, and critical and reference works.

A quick search for 'autumn' found 1546 poems. I looked on the main page for an advanced search or a search limiters page. It didn't jump out at me. I clicked on Text (under Search) and voila - there were the limiters. I want to find a poem about autumn, referring to fall colors, written in the latter half of the twentieth century. How do I limit my search?
I selected the Poetry tab
I clicked on "select from a list" for the First line/ Title Keywords
I noticed each word has a number next to it.
I selected 'autumn' (over 900). LION puts the word in quotes in the search box.
Back to the search page, I limited the publication date to 1950-2011
Searched.
Pulled up 537 titles.
We're getting closer to a reasonable number but still way to many.

Selected 'modify search' which kept the initial search terms. I added 'leaves' to the search box for keywords in the poem. 219 titles

Selected modify search and typed in 'color' for a keyword! That brought the number down to 20!

It is thought provoking to set a limiter on publishing between 1950 and 2011 but poems are pulled up by authors who died in the 1800's. Publishing date is the key here.

Back to modify search, scrolled down and noticed a limiter for additional poet details where I can put in the years the poet lived. I limited it to a poet living between 1920 and 2011 This time there were 19 titles.

I quickly found a poem that touched me - Autumn [from Carnival Evening (1998) , Norton ] by Linda Pastan.

Took about ten minutes to think through the search process, narrowing, refining, limiting, until I was able to put my hands on a manageable number of poems!

Yes, librarians will be around.

-kss

Your CTC campus librarian will give you the current password to GALILEO. CTC Library subscribes to LION just for our students.

Michael Hart RIP

Do you use e-books? Are you familiar with the Gutenberg Project? Today, I read in the Chronicle that Michael S. Hart founder of the Gutenberg Project had passed on earlier in September.

Project Gutenberg was inarguably the birthplace of the e-book. Today we don't think twice about downloading a book to our Kindle, tablet, Web browser, or cellphone. But in 1971, when Mr. Hart officially began Project Gutenberg, or even in the early 1990s, when it began to reach critical mass, e-books were not just unusual—they were unheard-of....[more]

We have downloaded the MARC records for 415 Gutenberg Project titles. You can of course access all 36,000 by going directly to Project Gutenberg.

Thank you, Mr. Hart, for creating this invaluable resource for information sharing.


-kss

VW history

Driving to work I noticed a billboard advertising the new VW Beetle. It does have a sleek look yet it is reminiscent of the original beetle.

Check out "VW Beetle specification guide 1968-1980" by Richard Copping [TL215 .V6 C66 2010 , Appalachian campus] if you'd like to wander down memory lane. The book goes well with the Automobile Repair Reference Center in GALILEO. I did a search in ARRC for 1968 Volkswagon, Beetle. You pick the year, the manufacturer, the model to finally get to the 'manual' with pictures, charts, and even a history of the vehicle. Comparing the book and database is an entertaining way to spend time learning about the VW Beetle!

-kss


Your Georgia librarian has the current password to access GALILEO off campus. Current students of CTC may borrow books from any campus. We will ship books from one campus to another via the courier. If you are not a current CTC student, your public library may borrow books from us for you!

The guides

What does a guide do for you? I laughingly refer to the Library Guides we subscribed to last year as sherpas. Our 67 Library Guides carry the research 'load' specifically for our classes and programs.

Our latest guide is for the Automotive Technology program.

Each Library guide follows a pattern - Intro, Books, Articles, Internet sources, News sources, How do I. The content varies by program or course.

A few Library Guides have multiple drop down pages with supplemental information (i.e. Horticulture, ENGL 2130 American Literature, and CUUL 1120 American Regional Cuisine).

Find a guide that can carry your research load to your ultimate goal, which is a superbly crafted, well researched, and correctly cited paper.

-kss

Zoom Zoom

Cooler weather inspires thoughts of travel, fast cars, new vistas.

[Yes, I like this advertisement]

Before I hit the road less traveled, I need to give my car the once over to ensure that I don't end up stuck on the side of the road. There is a helpful resource in GALILEO, ARRC Automobile Repair Reference Center.

Content includes nearly 857,000 drawings and step-by-step photographs, approximately 99,000 technical service bulletins & recalls issued by the original equipment vehicle manufacturer, over 158,600 enhanced wiring diagrams for easy viewing and printing.

The ability to print out step-by-step directions makes this a most useful tool as I try to make sure my car will go 'zoom zoom'!

-kss

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

Tweeting

Do you tweet? "There is a forum on the Constitution for #ctcConstitutionDay TODAY at 11:45 at the Marietta Campus F 1129!"

Which leads to the opportunity to mention this new title Bloggerati, twitterati [electronic resource] : how blogs and Twitter are transforming popular culture.

from Google: - Bloggerati, Twitterati: How Blogs and Twitter are Transforming Popular Culture explores the ongoing digital revolution and examines the way it is changing and will change the way people live and communicate. Starting from the proposition that the Internet is now the center of popular culture, the book offers descriptions of blogs and Twitter and the online behavior they foster. It looks at the demographics of users and the impact of the Internet on knowledge, thinking, writing, politics, and journalism. A primary focus is on the way blogs and tweets are opening up communication to the people, free from gatekeepers and sanctioned rhetoric. ...[more] .

Our copy is an electronic book available through Ebsco books. They bought NetLibrary. I'm very pleased with the way we can access the e-books, cite, print, save, etc. Stop by your campus library, or send me an e-mail using your CTC e-mail, for the username and login.

-kss

Apps and More apps

The American Library Association Facebook editors posted Continuing the Conversation: Using Google Apps for a More Efficient Library Part 2. "We just wrapped up the second session of the ALA TechSource Workshop Using Google Apps for a More Efficient Library with Suzann Holland"

I am exploring the Google Apps page. Fascinating what Google offers Higher Education for free. The success stories by various academic venues note the cost savings, the ease of use, and the familiarity students already have with Google products. I know a few people who have G-mail. I haven't stepped into that pond yet. Perhaps today is the day!




-kss

Shiver me timbers

Tis the day to roll, swagger, and talk in pirate cliches! Yes, it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Some Databases in GALILEO have translators. I checked Proquest and they don't offer 'pirate' as one of their language options! I looked in Ebsco Academic Search and couldn't find the translation link. I would have sworn they had a translation link.

But for fun, Facebook does have an English (Pirate) translator. Go to Account, Settings, Language, English (pirate).

Everybody should have a silly day!



-kss

We the People

Tomorrow is officially Constitution Day. Let me again share our Library guide for The Constitution. Since I mentioned the guide earlier this week, I've added two videos from the National Archives and an article from Encyclopedia Britannica. The library guides are updated frequently.

CTC will be hosting a discussion on the Historical Significance of the Constitution of the United States Of America

In Honor of the Federal Observance of Constitution Week
Be ready for a lively debate

To be held: Monday September 19th, 2011
Where: Marietta Campus – room F1129 – auditorium
Time: 11:45am until 1:30pm
Moderator: Political Science Instructor –
Torriel "Torry" Lewis, MPA
Political Science Instructor

Come and participate in the discussion.

-kss

What scent is that?

Don Auenson, technical services librarian at Marietta, found a bit of humor in a web site purporting to help create that new book smell in an e-book.

When Michael Miller, the campus librarian at the Appalachian campus, shared this new title.


Odd jobs : portraits of unusual occupations Schiff, Nancy Rica. TR681 .W65 S35 2002

Laughter is good for the soul.


-kss

Weekend fun

Today's app is a way to find something good to read for the weekend, World Cat, beta edition. It's not the World Cat we have access to in GALILEO but the public World Cat. For a person on the go, this app is quite handy. Your search will tell you which library holds the book you're looking for and how far away that library is from your location.

Caveat- I'm not able to see what libraries hold a title when I click on the link at my PC. Maybe it will work on your mobile?

There are other World Cat apps that use ISBN and bar codes with the camera on your phone. See what might work best for your information needs!


-kss

and you know to use the World Cat we have access to in GALILEO, you will need the current password for GALILEO. Your Georgia librarian can give you the password. Just ask.

AARGH

You have 4 days till September 19th. Are you ready to Talk Like A Pirate? Do you need some help with the vocabulary?

As a current student you may borrow this book from our Woodstock campus. If you're not a CTC student, check with your public library. They can borrow this title through Inter-Library Loan (ILL).

How to speak pirate : a treasure chest of seafaring slang
Telfer, Geordie. G535 .T45 2008

The Woodstock campus Librarian , Lauren Barnes, shared her favorite Pirate Speak phrases:
His eyes lack the bright spark of intelligence = He’s a proper dabberlack!
Unsound in the head = Barmy in the Crumpet
She talks a lot = She’s forty jawed
State of being bald = Balditude

Shiver me timbers, prepare for the day!


-kss

James is how old?

ALA Face Book posted that James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl was 50 years old on September 13. They've shared wonderful illustrations from various blogging artists.

Best of all they posted the link to Penguins page of delightful activities.

In GALILEO you can get to two resources that have information about Roald Dahl and James and the Giant Peach. NoveList K-8 offers a few curricular articles. There is a link to the public World Cat where you can see which library close to you has the book on the shelf!

GALILEO also provides access to Literature Resource Center (GALE) (remember they have an app). There are three mp3 files which you can download. Be aware, the interview with Roald Dahl's granddaughter is a (mechanical) audio reading of the transcripts of the NPR radio programs. That is a little disconcerting. You can go to Weekend Edition and listen to the original radio show. I wonder why Gale didn't link to the NPR site?

Celebrate the longevity of children's literature by reading James and the Giant Peach!

-kss

What is that rash?

Yes, we have a pattern here. The Ebsco apps, the Gale app, and today Medline Plus. You may access Medline Plus through GALILEO (you need the current password)or through the wild web. Both ways take you to Medline Plus. Scroll to the bottom of the screen for the mobile link.

There's an m at the beginning of the URL. As I noted earlier, I don't have a smart phone so I'm not sure how one puts this on your phone! It would be a handy app to have when you want a quick medical reference.


-kss

Talk Like a Pirate - Sept 19

Truly one of my favorite, silly days! Begin practicing



Backbeard: Pirate for Hire , Written and illustrated by Matthew McElligott


-kss

Over twelve hundred

A little reminiscing is in order now that I'm 'back'.

- The View from the Library has been commenting on what life looks like from the North Metro campus library circulation desk for over 6 years. I started blogging May 4, 2005. The impetus for the name of the blog was the installation of glass doors. They opened up the space and definitely gave us a 'view'.

- There are over 1,280 posts
- The third year has the most posts
- I keep an excel file of post topics, so I don't get too repetitious
- Two other members of the library staff at North Metro have posted at various times

Sometimes I write about what day it is or a book I've read but mostly - electronic resources are the grist for this mill.

Would you tell me about your favorite post - the one that entertained, informed, or amused you?

...and now back to our regularly scheduled program...

-kss

App a day

Yes, an application a day enhances your search life!

Here's one from Literature Resource Center by Gale that will be very helpful for the student taking ENGL 1102.


Search For Access My Library College Edition in the iTunes AppStore or the Android Market.

Just enter your college email address, retrieve the password from your email, and you can search Literature Resource Center (GALE) from your phone or other mobile device.



-kss

I admit, I do not have a smart phone. Would you share how these apps work for you?

An App a day

There are new apps (you know, applications for smart phones) created daily. Ebsco has several apps for its families of databases. Through GALILEO, we can access the app that applies to our academic resources.

Hints for use:
--- The App is setup to search every EBSCOhost Database available through GALILEO and does not limit to Full-Text or Peer-Reviewed Articles.
--- At the bottom of the App choose Settings.
--- Un-check any database that you do not want to search
--- The options to limit to Full-Text or Peer-Reviewed articles are at the very bottom of the list of databases.

You may get the current password to access GALILEO off campus from your campus librarian.

-kss

New titles

The campus librarian at our Appalachian Campus sends his faculty and staff an e-mail when new materials are available at the campus. This is a pro-active way to let users know something new has arrived. Yet, what if you're not on the distribution list for that campus. How can you find out what's new on the shelf at one of CTC's libraries?

In our catalog, there is a link for New Books list (it's in the gray bar, 5th link over). The list is updated each Friday night.

The beginning of the academic year brings a flood of new materials! Keep checking for that something special that will help you succeed in your program.


-kss

Constitution Day, Sept 17

Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17. In 2005, Congress mandated that schools receiving federal funding provide education about the Constitution. This year the Constitution will be taught in schools on September 16th.

There are multiple resources online to help individuals and teachers share information about the United States Constitution. Try the National Archives and Law Library of Congress for authoritative primary documents. We have created a Library Guide for the Constitution.

As with any web search, check the credentials of the author of the site. Make sure you understand what their 'agenda' might be.

-kss

Time

I have been away for awhile. Time does fly when one is having fun (or is very busy). Chattahoochee Technical College moved from the quarter system to the semester system. During the summer, we had a five week minimester but it contained every bit of information taught during the quarter!

I'm back. I hope to share tidbits about resources available in our eight campus libraries!


-kss

The CTC Library: A Crash Course

Welcome to the first week of the new semester system here at Chattahoochee Technical College! You don't have to spend all your free time on campus parking or buying books; you may also browse your campus library during your free time. The libraries contain a vast Internet and print collection along with faxing, copying, printing, and group/quiet study areas.

Our policies and procedures for borrowing materials and accessing online accounts are the same for the eight library locations (one located on each campus). Materials may be checked out for three weeks except at the end of the semester. 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, and all other TCSG libraries or through our Interlibrary Loan program. 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 110,000 online resources. Our library website is the first step for any of your research needs. Students will find the library catalog, GALILEO, MLA & APA citation guides, Evaluating Websites guide, and more on the site! (Please come into the library or ask your instructors for the new GALILEO password.) Don’t forget to check out our Library Guides – individual webpages dedicated to specific classes, programs, and/or special topics.

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. The library staff cannot wait to meet you and help you with all your research needs!

lbm

Canton Library-Coming Together

The library at the Canton campus opened this quarter. The Canton campus opened with a few classes during Winter quarter, and the decision was made to wait and open the library when the campus began to offer a full slate of classes this spring. Students have already begun to take advantage of the Canton campus library's computers and study rooms, and have even checked out a few books.

Each day, new things seem to arrive at the library. Last week there was a bit of excitement when the CD-tower came in. Every time you visit the Canton library, there will probably be more books on the shelves than the last time you dropped in.

The hours for the Canton campus library are:
Monday-Thursday-7:30am to 8:30pm
Friday-9am to 1pm
Closed weekends

Remember that if the library is closed you can still access many of our resources online. Contact the library if you need help with this.

-JWF