Mysteries

On the list for School Librarians someone shared the CNN interview with Chris Van Allsburg on his newest title, 'The Chronicles of Harris Burdick' [picture from CNN]. It is the fleshing out in word of the 'Mysteries of Harris Burdick'.

What else could I find on this newest title by Chris Van Allsburg?
Going to GALILEO
..selecting Databases A-Z
....choosing L
......picking Literature Resource Center (Gale).

The Gale search page is intuitive. The results are divided into groups with a tab for each division. There are 99 reviews for Chris Van Allsburg.

The Nov 13, 2011 New York Times Book review by Leonard S Marcus is the first result in Literature Resource Center. You did notice it's dated Nov 13, 2011? I am impressed with how fast the various vendors are at getting current information in their databases but this seems to be extraordinarily quick!


-kss

Check with your CTC Librarian for the current password to GALILEO.

Wait weight

Driving in this morning, the Morning Edition story was about doctors, patients and weight loss. The premise is 30% of us are obese. Some doctors aren't encouraging us to lose weight. As the story progressed, I began to empathize with the doctors. If they tell us we're fat, some of us get insulted and accuse the doctor of insensitivity. Some doctors assume we can see ourselves in the mirror, so they don't point out the obvious. Doctors get paid to cure diseases, not prevent them. Doctors can 'tell' us, but that doesn't mean we'll 'hear' them.

One lady shared her doctor didn't give her enough encouragement when she said to him "do you think I can lose 80 pounds in 8 months and run a marathon". Mind you she's 50 years old. His response- "well, you could but it's unlikely". She left and found 'support' in a friend. Good grief. He responded like a normal human being- let's see, you're 50 years old, you want to lose 10 pounds a month and run in a marathon- yes it's possible but, really?, I mean, really?

What's a person to do - either doctor or patient?

My suggestion, unasked for but here it is. The doctors should point out the obvious when a patient is in their office, your current weight does not match the norms for your height and skeletal structure. These diseases could result from your weight. The doctor should provide a resource or two for the patient.

I admit, my doctor did this - pointed out the statistics and provided a resource. I wasn't insulted. My reflection doesn't lie. The scale is fairly accurate.

So what did I do?
Did I follow his advice.
.....Hmmm, no.
Is that his fault.
.....Hmmm, no.
What's a doctor to do?
What's a patient to do?

Information may result in motivation. Look in your mirror. Really look. Stand on your scale and be honest. If you need a resource (or two), television ads are full of opportunities for help with weight loss. Better yet, read a book.

A search in our catalog for weight loss retrieved 176 titles. I redid the search and limited the library to Electronic Books (which I can read at my desk), this pulled up 43 titles. The newest title in the catalog is 'The gravity of weight, [electronic resource] : a clinical guide to weight loss and maintenance'[2010]

New York-based psychiatrists Sylvia (Weill Cornell Medical College) and Byram (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) review the entire body of medical and scientific knowledge about weight and weight loss, always emphasizing that there are nothing but indications--though some of them very strong--about causes and consequences, no linear relationship between one cause and one effect. They consider obesity in the US; food and the basic principles of calories; the psychology of the eater; the metabolic complexities of weight control; psychiatric disorders and weight; medical conditions and weight; exercise; circadian rhythms, sleep, and weight; diet and weight; psychological treatment strategies and weight; and pharmacological and surgical treatments for overweight and obesity

It's not a how-to book but a resource of information on what might cause the weight gain and weight retention. This could be the needed inspiration. This Ebsco ebook can be downloaded onto an e-reader!

Your CTC librarian can give you the login to access e-books off campus!


-kss

11-11-11

There are many veterans (and future veterans) in my family. They are honored and remembered on this day.

Looking for information on Armistice Day, I started with our catalog. A subject search armistice day pulled up two ebrary titles. You remember, I'm not thrilled with using ebrary but here we are.

The greatest day in history [electronic resource] : how, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the First World War finally came to an end was published in 2008. I chose it for the positive nature of the title.

Each chapter details a single day leading up to November 11, 1918. November 11th is broken into four chapters. It is easy to go from chapter to chapter by using the Table of Contents on the right side. To turn the page there are arrows at the top of the document in the InfoTools bar. If you're reading the book, when you get to the bottom of the page you need to scroll back up to turn the page. Admittedly, not that big a deal but it would be helpful to have the arrows at the bottom of the screen as well.

Another librarian noted she uses the general search box to look through every ebrary title. A search for armistice day in the general search box at the top of the book, brought thousands of hits. Scrolling through the results showed me it was picking up the individual words. A new search, with 'armistice day' in quotes, narrowed the results to under 500. The ability to search through the full text of all the electronic books is an amazing research tool in any electronic book collection. This quick search provides you with the desired information that might be in just one paragraph.

Read all about the week before and the day of November 11, 1918 in The greatest day in history [electronic resource] : how, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the First World War finally came to an end. Let us not forget.

-kss

Check with your CTC librarian for the login information.

Three copies

Continuing the discussion....

A search in our catalog shows we have three electronic copies of the Readers Companion to Military History.

The catalog MARC records reveal a few differences in the e-books:
-- NetLibrary (now Ebsco) notes "This is a paperbound reprint of a 1996 work" and "This NetLibrary eBook does not include some or all of the images that were part of the original hardcopy book".
-- Ebrary notes it is a 2001 edition.
-- Credo notes it is the 1996 edition with little more information. You may remember from my last blog entry that in Credo itself, the description of the title is quite extensive.

All three MARC records include a hyperlink to access the book. What I found intriguing is the differences in finding the same information within the books.

I started in Credo. The link from the catalog took me directly to the book with the search box open at the top of the screen. A search for marines pulled up 12 articles. The first article was by Allan R. Millett and talked about marines in various countries. It is not specifically about the United States Marines. I decided to use that article as my base for looking in the other two e-books.

To open the Ebsco copy requires clicking on the left side - open ebook full text. To search with in the text you click on the search tool on the right side. A search box opens at the top of the screen. The search for marines pulled up 42 keyword references. I started scrolling through the results to see if I could find the article by Allan R. Millett. Because the search is going through the 'book' you are given page numbers as reference points. I didn't find the section on my first go round. I did a search by Millett. I went back to the Credo article to see what other phrases might help me find the exact article. Finally I found it but it wasn't fast or easy.

The e-brary version of the Readers Companion opened in the book. I admit I'm not as familiar with ebrary as perhaps I should be. After I describe my experience with this search, you may understand my reluctance to use the resource. Here we go. There is a search box at the top of the book. However, upon close inspection that search box looks through all of ebrary's titles. The search box for the specific title we're in, is on the right side, in a column. I entered the word marines. There is an arrow at the top of the screen to go to the next highlighted entry. Is there no list of all the hits? After much looking around, I realized the right side of the screen has a drop down arrow by the word entries. A magnifying glass by the letters is the clue that there is a highlighted word there. This is a reference book and the articles are in alphabetical order. I clicked on M and voila there was the article I was looking for. There is no citation. I couldn't find a durable URL to get to the title in ebrary.

I feel like Goldilocks. Hands down, Credo was the easiest to use but it looks least like the book. Ebrary and Ebsco had different good and bad qualities. Both looked like the print version, if that really matters. I just want to find the information.

And now you know that, although the titles are the same, the search strategies would be different for each e-book.



-kss

Check with your campus librarian for the login to each e-book collection.

575 online

In honor of the US Marines 'birthday' I went looking for information in our collection about the Marines. Our subscription to the complete
Credo Reference gives us access to 575 reference books on-line. The history collection in Credo includes the Readers Companion to Military History. That title did seem to be the most likely source for information about the Marines.

The 'about this book' tab provides an extensive description:

How did war originate? What makes a war popular or unpopular at home? How common is desertion or mutiny? What makes a successful guerrilla insurgency? How have armies been fed throughout history? The Reader's Companion to Military History addresses these and other intriguing aspects of the most destructive, fascinating, and relentless of human enterprises -- war.

Filled with surprising anecdotes, little-known facts, and rare illustrations, The Reader's Companion covers major events and battles, commanders and theorists, weaponry and technological advances, and strategy and tactics. What makes the volume especially distinctive, however, is the range of thematic articles, covering such topics as courage, discipline, the effects of weather on warfare, military justice, surrender, the role of propaganda, the use of animals in war, the evolution of uniforms, psychological warfare, and morale. Unlike many military histories, the volume covers Asian, African, and South American history as well as that of Europe and North America. Subjects range from the Persian Wars of 490 B.C. to contemporary topics such as the revelations of Robert McNamara, gays in the military, and ethnic cleansing. One hundred fifty distinguished military historians, biographers, and journalists produced this volume under the editorship of Robert Cowley, editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, and Geoffrey Parker, Robert A. Lovett Professor of Military and Naval History at Yale University. The result is a remarkable chronicle of warfare that combines compelling historical narrative with the latest in contemporary scholarship..

It is easy to search Credo as a whole or through individual books. A complete Credo search pulled up 1323 references to 'marines'. A search just in The Readers Companion to Military History provided 12 articles.

Semper Fi.

-kss

Check with your campus librarian for the login.

Semper Fidelis

Today is the 'birthday' of the Marine Corps.

In our collection we have fourteen titles that deal with the Marines. Flags of Our Fathers is an "unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America." It is available both online as an e-book and in print.

To access the e-book, contact your campus librarian for the login information.

-kss

Who helps?

CTC offers several programs to train the first responders to an emergency.

A search in the library catalog for 'emergency broadcast system' turned up a single title. Interestingly, a 'find' search for the phrase 'Emergency broadcast system' did not show a hit in this record. The three individual words are in the record but not the phrase. Why was this title pulled in the search?

Looking for the cover to use in this blog, revealed the companion site for the Homeland Security Handbook .

The thought came up, was this a supplement to the 2006 book or just a rehash (and sales pitch) for the 2006 edition? The chapter Section 8 - Emergency Management, Public Health and Medical Preparedness seemed like the section to check for updates. I did a 'find on this page' search for 2009, nothing. A search for 2010 did show multiple resources. The website does have current information to supplement the 2006 print edition!

This is a good example of how the internet can be used to maintain the currency of the printed edition.


-kss

Testing, testing

My question about the emergency alert system being available only on TV, radio, and cable pushed me to go look in GALILEO for a news story about the system. I selected ProQuest databases as a general news source rather than a specific newspaper resource. Admittedly, I'm partial to the ProQuest layout.

My first search term was emergency broadcast. ProQuest offered alternatives. I like how the subject alternatives are in a 'drop down' below the search box. I selected emergency broadcast system. That search turned up more than a few articles. I noticed the sort box to the right. I sorted by 'Publication date (most recent first)'.

The results were interesting but definitely not what I expected. I realized because of the highlighting of the search terms, that ProQuest was searching by individual word. A new search with "emergency broadcast system" in quotes pulled up exactly what I was looking for, current articles on the national test today.

FEMA to launch first national test of emergency broadcast system by Stephen Pytak in the Tribune Business News noted:

"The test (on Wednesday) will not involve other communication devices such as the Internet, LAN and mobile telephones. No other communications networks or devices will be impacted by the test, meaning that people will be able to continue use their cell phones, the Internet and other communications channels during the test," according to the FEMA website. "There will be no disruption of those service."

"FEMA is working on a program to allow cell phone users to receive Emergency Alert System updates. By April 2012, FEMA will have the Personal Localized Alerting Network, according to Niki Edwards, a FEMA spokeswoman based in Philadelphia. It will allow cell phone users to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area, according to the FEMA website."

That answered some of my questions.

CTC subscribes to e2 campus which is a system where they can text your cell phone or e-mail in case of an emergency. Security used the system when there was a gas leak on the North Metro campus. It is an 'opt in' system. I wonder how the feds will handle all the cell phones in the country? Especially those that may charge for text messages. Will the Feds pay for every text message? Will they insist that there be no charge by the phone companies?

More questions. Stay tuned. Today is only a test!


-kss

GALILEO get the current password from your Georgia librarian
...Databases A-Z
.....P
.......ProQuest databases

This is a test

From USA.gov:

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System tomorrow, Wednesday, November 9 at 2:00 PM Eastern time. It will last 30 seconds.

You may hear a message on radio or television saying, “This is a test.” This national test will help determine the reliability of the system and its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers nationally and regionally.

The Emergency Alert System is a national system to let the President address the public during emergencies. Under the Federal Communications Commission’s rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite providers and wireline video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential Emergency Alert System messages to the public.

The nationwide test will broadcast across all states and the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

[More]

My first thought was- what about those of us at work? We don't have access to TV, radio, or cable. We have the internet. Someone might want to think about how to really alert everyone.

-kss

X-rays

Yes, I'm on a pictures roll.
What story does an x-ray tell about a bone?

Today the
Radiography program is celebrating the discovery of x-rays.

The Radiography program is a sequence of courses that prepares students for positions in Radiology departments and related businesses and industries. Learning opportunities develop academic, technical, and professional knowledge and skills required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement. The program emphasizes a combination of didactic and clinical instruction necessary for successful employment. Program graduates receive a Radiologic Technology Associate of Applied Science degree, and possess the qualifications of an entry-level radiographer and are eligible to take the national boards administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) once all academic and clinical requirements are met.

For the third year in a row, all our graduates passed the state boards! Congratulations to the instructors and students.


-kss

Photo credit: Rahim Packir Saibo via Flickr/Creative Commons. Broken bone

Renegotiating the image

Using Power Search to look for titles that deal with images and sorting by newest to oldest, pulled up
Digital and other virtualities [electronic resource] : renegotiating the image [N7433.8 ONLINE RESOURCE 2010].

The World Cat summary notes the author draws on concrete practices, ranging from film, video and chatrooms to airport spaces, conceptual art and textiles, to offer critically engaged, sometimes sceptical, analyses of contemporary image worlds in the light of a continuing allegiance to grounded histories and critical practice.

The book description in Amazon has a less than clear beginning. In this transdisciplinary book, major artists, filmmakers, film theorists, philosophers, literary critics, information theorists and cultural analysts examine the twists and turns of the contesting terms of virtuality and indexicality in contemporary cultural theory in relation to history, trauma, sexuality, textuality, anxiety, simulated lives, code, digital cinema, science fiction, and contemporary art.

The World Cat summary would have me trying the book.The beginning of the book description in Amazon does not have the same immediate appeal.

This book is available through our e-book collection. Check with your campus librarian for the log in. Then decide for yourself whether World Cat or the beginning of the book description adequately reflect the written word.

-kss

What is worth a 1000 words?

CTC Library supports the programs offered on each campus. The Design and Media Production program tours the North Metro campus library each term looking at books of images. We've created a Library Guide just for Images : Citing and Finding. There are multiple image resources in GALILEO.

In addition to what we have, Encyclopedia Britannica is offering an early holiday gift to all of Georgia.

Many schools, public libraries, colleges and universities have expressed great interest in being able to help students and faculty find high-quality images that have full permissions for educational use, and we are very excited to be able to offer this amazing collection. You’ll be glad to know that all of the superior providers are included in this collection, and we plan to have over 60 collections in the near future.

FREE GALILEO PREVIEW AT www.quest.eb.com

The best way to see all that Image Quest has to offer is to experience it yourself. We have enabled Galileo statewide so just jump in and enjoy through December 31, 2011.

If there are any access issues, please use username “questpreview” and password “galileo”.

You know the answer to the question - a picture is worth a thousand words. Go look at these images till December 31.

-kss

Protest for real- VOTE

Ask the closest Occupy Wall Street protester- did you vote today? A Google search for 'election November 8' turned up many states having an election - New York, Georgia, Ohio and more.

To get a historic sense about elections, I did a search for 'election' in Annals of American History in GALILEO. There is an article by Daniel Webster (1844) requesting reform on Naturalization Law because some politicians were naturalizing immigrants quickly to get more votes.

What is that saying about the more things change, the more they stay the same?

Go vote!


-kss

GALILEO (get the current password from your Georgia librarian)
...Databases A-Z
....A
......Annals of American History

Vote on Tuesday

November 8th is election day in many parts of the country. In Georgia, we will be voting on local issues like the continuing of a special options tax for schools and whether liquor can be sold on Sunday. Check out the Georgia Secretary of State My Voter Page. You might b e surprised at what your county has on the ballot.

If you want to protest effectively- make sure you're an informed voter and get to your polling place early.


-kss

A portable advisor

In looking for something to read, using an on-line resource like NoveList in GALILEO can be helpful for requesting a title through inter-library loan (WorldCat).

But what if I'm going to a book store, do I have to remember the titles or the author I was interested in? Is there a readers advisory tool that I can tote around?

A search in our catalog for the subject readers advisory turned up 13 titles, all electronic books, all in Ebsco. Each title is available for download onto an e-reader. The books can be 'checked out' for up to 7 days.


There are two titles published in 2011 (audiobooks and Fang Tastic). The other titles range in publication date from 2004 to 2010. You might not get the latest titles but you'd have a plethora of options for your portable readers advisory.

You do need a login and password to use the Ebsco e-books. Check with your campus librarian for that information!

-kss

What to read next?

The chill in the air encourages me to stay home and read. I enjoy reading series that show the main character growing and changing. How do I find another series that I can read and read and read while curled up in front of the fire?


Through GALILEO, NoveList has recently added some new features.
- Goodreads Now Available: All of the NoveList databases now include reader ratings and book reviews from Goodreads.
- Easier to Find Read-alike Content: In addition to the Read-alikes located on the right side of every Title, Author, and Series Detail page, NoveList has added links to Title, Author, and Series Read-alikes at each record in the search results.
- Easy to find Author Information: Author information is located in one easily accessible location. Just enter the author name in the search box and go to the Author Detail page where you can find author read-alikes, author descriptions, a list of all of the books by that author, and a list of all the series by that author (if applicable).

See this announcement from EBSCO for more information.

-kss

GALILEO ask your Georgia librarian for the current password
...Select Databases A-Z
.....Select N
.......Select NoveList

Asking your opinion

Regularly I dread being asked my opinion. Usually the 'asker' is doing it to make the 'askee' feel involved. The 'asker' rarely has any intention of following through on the opinions of the 'askee'.


In the case of GALILEO's annual survey, I say ask away! The staff at GALILEO do listen and follow through on the suggestions, concerns and compliments offered by users. Please take their annual survey. Your response will make a difference.

The annual GALILEO user survey will start Monday, November 7 [that's today], and this year’s incentive is an iPad drawing. An iPad will be awarded in a random drawing of survey respondents. In addition to the drawing, the survey gives users an opportunity to relate their experience with GALILEO and to share their ideas for the future. Please encourage your patrons, students, faculty and teachers, colleagues, and others to participate. The survey link will appear on the GALILEO welcome and home pages November 7-13 and is available at the link below. Take the GALILEO survey: http://galileo2011.questionpro.com

-kss

1967

Today has been a day for writing about time. I have had a song in my head where the artists shouted TIME followed by music, a shout of TIME, and then more music. I could hear the song but I couldn't think of the title.

I searched in YouTube. There are lots of videos with 'time' in the title. This particular song eluded me. I figured it had to be from my high school era. You remember my post on popular music and how I haven't paid attention to current trends in music since then.

A friend sent a link to Poem Hunter. Scrolling through the selection on 'time' didn't turn up what I thought I was looking for.

A post on my Facebook was aimed at my peers, who I hoped would remember the group and the song. Social networking can help with research. Two friends suggested it was the Chamber Brothers from 1967. They were correct!



So now I know that 'time has come today' and on Saturday we'll fall back one hour.


-kss

What to do?

We are in the process of weeding our health collection. Standards say it should be current (less than five years old). We do have a few books to pitch. What should we do with the discards?

NPR Blogger, Robert Krulwich, wrote about a lovely Scottish mystery. The blog is not a 'how to' on art crafts for old books but a gentle, sweet discussion about a humble and anonymous artist. The pictures are amazing!

Maybe we should make library furniture with our discards or offer them to artists to make dioramas like these. Who knows what we'll decide to do.

-kss

Clocks

Saturday night before I go to bed, there will be a spell of time changing as I reset the clocks to an earlier hour. We'll be falling back an hour. It is autumn (fall) so it seems appropriate to fall back. Makes me think of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Do I get a 'do over' for that hour? Yes, I must be rambling.

Dictionary of clocks and watches by Eric Bruton [TS540.7 .B7 Reference] is at the Marietta campus in the Reference section. I've asked a librarian there to take a look at it and give me a 'report'. The description in the catalog says it is illustrated. The title says it is a dictionary but what in the world can you say about clocks and watches?
-- clock and watch terminology with definitions, some pictures
-- example : Balance Staff - The shaft or axle of the balance

Now we know why it's in the Reference section!


-kss

It's coming!

Back in September, I wrote about the beta testing for Auto Repair Reference Center.

Today this e-mail arrived from EBSCO:

We are pleased to announce that, as a current subscriber to Auto Repair Reference Center (ARRC), you will soon (in about one week) notice that your ARRC interface has been automatically replaced by the new version announced last spring.

We hope that you found it helpful to have the opportunity to try the new interface for several months in advance of its automatic upgrade to the new design. Key features of the updated interface include:

• Intuitive, user-friendly navigation
• Enhanced searching within content collections
• Ability to print/email/save high-quality PDF records
• Increased repair coverage – more than 37,000 vehicles covered
• Expanded, in-depth repair information from the major original equipment manufacturers, including Ford, Honda, and GMC
• On-Board Diagnostics (OBD II) codes with description and troubleshooting information

To learn more about the new Auto Repair Reference Center, please sign up to attend one of our free online training sessions at http://training.ebsco.com.

My quick spin with it in September inspired me!

-kss

To use GALILEO, get the current password from your Georgia Librarian
...Select Databases A-Z
.....Select A
........Select Auto Repair Reference Center.

Saturday night

From Time and Date.com: Many people in North America and the United Kingdom (UK) use the term “spring forward” and “fall back” when they refer to the daylight saving start and end dates. This is mainly due to the fact that DST occurs in the spring season and ends in the fall (or autumn) season in the northern hemisphere, where Canada, the UK, and the United States (USA) are located.

The term “to spring forward” refers to when people set the clocks one hour forward, marking the start of DST. It is a term that is easy to remember for many people in countries such as Canada, the UK and the USA. This is because the DST start date coincides with the spring season in these countries. It is the time of the year when the days begin to have longer hours of sunlight after the winter’s end, in addition DST, which brings forth an extra hour of daylight in the afternoons or evenings.

The term “to fall back” suggests that one must set the clocks one hour back when DST ends. [more from Time and Date.com]


-kss (This is not my original work and there's more to read. What I admire about Time and Date.com is the way they credit every photo. It's a very nice example of appropriate citing.)

11022011

A palindrome date for us.

As someone noted it was this number nine months ago in Europe. Why do they put the month in the middle and we put the month at the beginning?

-kss

Pen in hand

We're coming up on the time of year when families gather to reminisce. November is National Novel Writing Month! You could start today and have the great American novel ready (well almost ready) for Thanksgiving.

I started thinking about family stories. Little Women is the first that came to mind. I know there are other novels that use the family as their foundation. I just can't think of any- well, I thought of Little House on the Prairie but I couldn't think of any adult titles. A search in NoveList for Little Women revealed the genre tagged as 'family sagas'. That gave me a clue on what to search for.

The advanced search option in NoveList has a drop down box with GN genre. The search for family sagas as genre turned up over 1800 titles!

Now I need to narrow my search again. On the left side there are boxes to help narrow results. I picked Location. That dropped down to reveal a number of areas. I selected Southern States and then North Carolina. Three titles turned up. I wasn't interested in their characters so I x'd out North Carolina and tried Georgia.

I can see this might take some time!

Once you find the right book, click on the World Cat link to see which library has the book. There is a request a copy link. Because I went into NoveList through GALILEO I can request a copy be sent to my campus library.

Start writing or start reading to get ideas for your great American novel.

-kss

Get the password to use GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.
Select Databases A-Z
..Select N
....NoveList

Dem Bones

The spate of CSI programs with crusty but clever doctors deciphering the clues left by the body have inspired many a student to go into Criminal Justice.

Beyond the body farm (GN69.8 .B35 2007) in which "Forensic anthropologist Bass nicely complements his memoir, Death's Acre, with this unnervingly cheerful collection (ably co-written by science journalist Jefferson) of case studies and anecdotes from the field of corpse identification. With careful attention to detail and the occasional darkly humorous aside, the authors describe charred maggot cocoons; the grotesquely dismembered victims of a fireworks factory explosion; and the forensic uses of sonar, scanning electron microscopes and computer databases. [More]" You can get a hint of what you'll learn by reading the excerpt at the author's site.

This book is available at our Woodstock campus. We do move books around the system through the courier. Check with your CTC Librarian for your reading needs.

-kss

Rattling bones

Now that Halloween has passed, the neighborhood skeletons are back in their closets.

You have time to learn the names of the bones before they rattle their way out next year. We have access to two online skeletal resources which make it possible for our Anatomy and Physiology students to study bones anywhere and anytime.

ESkeletons,from the University of Texas at Austin, Department of Anthropology,"provides an interactive environment in which to examine and learn about skeletal anatomy. The purpose of this site is to enable you to view the bones of both human and non-human primates and to gather information about them from our osteology database." Access to this resource can be had through GALILEO.

CTC Library subscribes to Anatomy.TV which is a 3D anatomy resource. The Systemic Edition covers Skeletal, Muscular, Surface, Cardiovasular, and Lymphatic systems. Students do need the login and password for this resource off campus.

There is a difference between the two- ESkeletons has photographs of bones, Anatomy.TV has line drawings.

Between the resources, you can learn the names of the bones before they shake loose.


-kss

Another financial thought

From the overview for An anatomy of the financial crisis.

How did the US financial crisis snowball into USD 15 trillion global losses? This book offers a clear synthesis and original analysis of the various factors that led to the financial crisis of 2007-2010 - namely, an asset price bubble and excessive leverage. The focus is on the ingredients of and dynamics within the international financial system, and as such is the most comprehensive publication in scope to date in terms of market, country and instrument coverage.[more]

An anatomy of the financial crisis is one of our electronic books, available 24/7. To access the title off campus ask your CTC Librarian for the login information for ebrary.

-kss

The Law

Henry VI, Part 2, Act 4, Scene 2- Dick the Butcher says "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" and laughter ensues in the audience. Seth Finkelstein wrote in July of 1997 how lawyers take this phrase and explain it as praise for lawyers rather than contempt. If we did get rid of all the lawyers, would being run by political innocents be any better? Dictators regularly purge the educated (lawyers, professors, teachers, clergy, doctors) to keep the ignorant truly in the dark.

Honest, good, ethical lawyers try to protect the innocent from the powerful. The good lawyers try to keep the playing field level for all participants, no matter their economic power. We teach Business Law to our Marketing students. To help the students find legal information, we've created a Library Guide for MKTG 1130. We refer them to print and non-print resources. The information we provide opens their eyes to the need to understand there are rules (laws) designed to protect both consumer and retailer.


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Money, money, money

The Occupy Wall Street movement is angry at the greed and corruption of the financial industry. Folks regularly say that money is the root of all evil, but the Bible notes it is the "Love of money" that is the root of all evil [1 Timothy 6:10]. What is going on in the Banking industry that has turned a fair return on investment into an addiction for more and more?

GALILEO has over 100 databases with current journals, magazines, and newspapers at your fingertips. Banking Information Source (Proquest) combines the currency of the Internet and the perspective of industry journals to provide the ultimate financial services research tool.

In today's banking world, keeping informed of what's happening in economic markets is as important as monitoring national and international developments. Banking Information Source (Proquest) can help users predict future market trends, monitor the rise of future competition, and even pick up ideas that have worked successfully in the financial services market. The database brings together leading journals from the most important international markets and allows you to analyze and compare articles from 360 full-text sources in a manner of seconds.

My complaint with the banks is the new charge for debit card use. I understand that the unintended consequence of the Dodd-Frank bill, which was an effort to help retailers, by putting a halt to the fees banks could charge the retailers for debit card use, ended up pushing banks to make up the loss in income by charging the consumers. Unintended consequences can turn a good idea into a terrible one.

My search in Banking Information Source (Proquest) for debit card charges (no quotes) turned up a hodge podge of articles. A second search for "debit card charges" (in quotes) turned up a few appropriate articles. The drop down list under the search box caught my eye with the phrase, 'debit card fees'. Using that phrase and sorting by most recent date gave me just what I hoped to find. Among the 12617 'hits' pulled up The November 5th, Investment Weekly News and the November 1, American Banker came first, followed by the Credit Union Journal and the Economist. Each has multiple articles referring to 'debit card fees'.

To access Banking Information Source (Proquest)
Go to GALILEO
..Select Database A-Z
....Select B
......Select Banking Information Source(Proquest)
You may get the password to access GALILEO from your Georgia librarian.


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Waiting for the Great Pumpkin

Tonight is the night when Linus sits waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.


Why does he wait? What is he waiting for? It does seem like the wait must be a theological response to something Linus feels is greater than himself. A search for "great pumpkin" in the Religion (Proquest) database in GALILEO turned up 15 articles dating to 1989. There are humorous, serious, reflective, even German responses to Linus, the Great Pumpkin and God. But no one seems to really know why Linus waits. It's a puzzle.

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The password to access Religion (Proquest) in GALILEO is available from your Georgia librarian. Just ask.

Analyzing Popular Music

The Credo pop music quiz had me searching for popular music in our catalog. I wondered what we had that might help me with the Credo questions. My search for facts was derailed when I ran across two e-copies of Analyzing Popular Music by Allan F. Moore [MT146 ONLINE RESOURCE 2003]. A trip through Google looking for more info on the title led me to Amazon which has a 2009 print edition for sale.

To see if there had been a seismic shift in the six years between editions, the "Look Inside" option allowed me to compare the Table of Contents and the first page of the index of the two editions. With my, admittedly quick, skimming I couldn't see any differences between the 2003 and 2009 versions.

The book description offered at Amazon gives hints on the content

How do we "know" music? We perform it, compose it, sing it in the shower; cook, sleep and dance to it. Eventually we think and write about it. This book represents the culmination of such shared processes. Portraying a wide range of genres (rock, dance, TV soundtracks, country, pop, soul, easy listening, Turkish Arabesk), the essays cover methodology, modernism, postmodernism, Marxism and communication.

This title does offer an erudite look at popular music. It didn't help with the Credo quiz but it did offer thought provoking entries.

To use the e-books in our collection you do need a log-in. Check with your CTC librarian.




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Singing along

Credo Reference sends out a weekly trivia quiz:

This week: Pop Albums

This week's brainteaser is about albums of popular music. Can you say which group or artist released these albums in the years indicated?

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).

2. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973).

3. Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) and Sticky Fingers (1971).

4. Pop (1997) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004).

5. Aladdin Sane (1973) and Heroes (1977).

6. Californication (1999) and Stadium Arcadium (2006).

7. The College Dropout (2004) and Graduation (2007).

8. Songs in the Key of Life (1976).

9. Heart of Stone (1989) and Believe (1998).

10. Such Sweet Thunder (1957).

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

The only one I 'knew' was the first one. That dates me doesn't it? It also shows I just didn't keep up with pop music. The answers to these 'teasers' can be found in the music collection of Credo Reference!

Check with your CTC librarian for the log-in to Credo. You may also access Credo through GALILEO. You know who can give you the password to GALILEO?

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Houses

The children's book by Virginia Burton, The Little House [PZ 7 .B954 LI 1978], is a "powerful, visually appealing story of a little country farmhouse that gets slowly engulfed, year by year, by the encroachment of a nearby booming metropolis. Eventually, the house is left derelict in a seedy neighborhood ..." [More]

I'm thinking about the changes going on around me. This book may be 'old' but it has a timeless appeal.

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De-construction

Pondering the renovation of the changing view, brought to mind how buildings around town have evolved.

consists of 4,445 maps by the Sanborn Map Company depicting commercial, industrial, and residential areas for 133 municipalities [within Georgia]. Originally designed for fire insurance assessment, the color-coded maps relate the location and use of buildings [frequently naming the business that was housed in the building], as well as the materials employed in their construction. The maps indicate which city utilities--such as water and fire service--were available.

Fire insurance maps document the changing face of towns and cities, providing highly detailed information for each neighborhood and block. The Library of Congress web site refers to them as "probably the single most important record of urban growth and development in the United States during the past one hundred years."

Not every city in Georgia has a map. I used this with an intro to college class that was looking at Cartersville history. (Cartersville is in Bartow County, as is this campus). For Cartersville, there are maps for 1885, 1890, 1895, 1900, 1905, 1909, 1916,and 1921. 36 years of detailed city maps!

It's not too difficult to navigate the maps. There is a tool bar with zoom in/out and pan left/right arrows at the top of each map. The search boxes are self explanatory and yes, the more accurate an address you have, the better your results on the map!

In conjunction with Google Earth one could see how much an area has changed in over a 100 years!


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Building

Thinking about the construction going on (well, destruction at the moment), I went to our catalog to see if there was a book that might help me understand what is happening to the building.

My first search for construction as a word or phrase turned up 1883 titles. As I scrolled down the list, nothing popped right up that would be applicable.

Switching my search for construction to a subject term narrowed the field to 1020 titles. That was better but not much.

Skimming the list, Slope stability, retaining walls, and foundations [electronic] showed possibilities, but it was "selected papers from the 2009 GeoHunan International Conference, August 3-6, 2009, Changsha, Hunan, China". It's subject terms might help my search. Foundations - design and construction looked to be the best option (after eliminating Congresses). No success.

What term could I use? Building might work as a subject. 428 titles. We're narrowing the field of results.

This time I found a book that had possibilities. It is for new construction but one of the subject headings gave me an idea - Building Superintendence. Yes, that's it. 21 titles retrieved. Really that's what I'm going to be doing for the next few months, superintending from the circulation desk!


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What do I see?

The wall comes down. The wall goes up.

Outside the retaining walls have been removed from around the exterior of the auditorium.

Inside a temporary wall has been erected to protect us from flying debris as interior demolition begins.

The renovation of the current auditorium just outside the North Metro campus library has picked up speed. In 2012 it will be an entry/student space. Glass walls will replace the concrete and brick exterior. The interior will have TV's, tables, chairs, and a few sofas. The furniture will be artfully arranged on swooping carpet spaces.

My view is being obstructed for a time but soon it will be expanded!


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A view of an event

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 being my Frederick Douglass day, I looked him up in Annals of American History and found two articles that he wrote. The title of the first article, "An African American View of the Mexican War", leads one to believe that there is a racial side to the discussion. "The treaty was opposed in America both by those who wanted more territory from Mexico than the treaty secured and by those who wanted no territory at all." After reading his editorial, I wondered why in the world did the editors title this as an African American view?

I searched for Mexican War in Annals of American History to see what other sources might be included. Not one title mentioned the race of the author. Fascinating. What are the editors saying?

You can get to Annals of American History by going to GALILEO (the current password is available from your Georgia librarian).
...Select Databases A-Z
.....Select A
.......Select Annals of American History

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Dedication

Learning about dedication from the life of Frederick Douglass is available as an electronic book in EBSCO. This is one of the many titles that can be downloaded into an e-reader.

The School Library Journal review noted in Amazon.com

"Although the need for books about values and character building is real, these series titles seem like a marketing ploy. The texts are basic, providing essentially the same or less information found in standard encyclopedias. No sources are listed. The material is simplified sometimes to the point of being misleading."

The review gave me pause - so I read the book online. It is a children's book under 26 pages long. It is simplistic and choppy. There is a glossary but no references. There is a bit of biographical information but not as much as an encyclopedia. I agree with the reviewer. This could have been done so much better, even if it's part of a series on character aimed at children. Children deserve the very best in writing.



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Primary sources

Showing English 2130 students how to find and use Primary Sources gives me a chance to advocate the use of Ancestry.com Library Edition. The Library Edition is only available on campus through GALILEO.

My favorite primary source in Ancestry is the Federal census. Each Federal census provides slightly different information. Since the beginning of Federal census taking in 1790, the name the head of the household was enumerated. The Head of the Household was usually the oldest male but sometimes a woman was noted as Head of Household. Starting in 1850, each person who lived in the household, whether kin or not, was named. Some census noted the relationship of each person to the head of the household.

I was showing Mrs. Alden's American Literature class how to find Frederick Douglass in Ancestry. I did a search with thousands of hits. Showing the Advanced search and the exact limiter brought our results to a manageable level of a little over 1600 names. The 1930 census (latest census available) had quite a few Frederick Douglass' noted. My question was- what do you know about Frederick Douglass? Could the author, Frederick Douglass, be in the 1930 census?

Credo Reference serves as a quick (and authoritative) search option - Douglass, Frederick (1818 - 1895). The brief biography lets me know that the Frederick Douglass enumerated in 1930 is not the Frederick Douglass I'm looking for. I also learn that Mr. Douglass was born in Maryland. The location is another piece of information I can use when looking in the census (or any other primary document).

Back to Ancestry. Since Mr. Douglass died in 1895, I start my search with the 1880 census (the 1890 census was burned and is incomplete). F W Douglass is noted as being born in 1820 in Maryland. I point out the census is notorious for getting the ages not quite right. When we look at the original census image, we see F.W. as head of household, his wife Anna, and four granddaughters (now there's a story). His occupation was U.S. Marshall. On one side of the Douglass family lives a white family, on the other side a black family. Mr. Douglass is noted as mulatto. An integrated neighborhood documented in the 1880 census.

Watching students eyes light up as they see the possibilities for adding primary source information to their projects is priceless.



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Poetry Sherpas

Sherpas are guides for the traveler through the mountains of Nepal. They carry and assist without being 'in charge'. If the traveler says I want to go that way, the sherpa will help them.

I happily point out that our Library Guides act as sherpas for the researcher. If an instructor requests a specialized guide for their class, we create one. There are English guides that list poets on drop down lists. The American Literature guide has a Reading List tab with many of the poets and authors that are covered in the term.

My theme for today is Carl Sandburg and 'Fog'. The page under the Reading List tab for Carl Sandburg includes a You Tube video, links to poems, and links to GALILEO resources LION and Literature Resource Center.

Like a good sherpa, we carry the load and point you in the best direction.



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Selected Poems

Selected Poems by Carl Sandburg [PS 3537 .A618 A6 1991] sits quietly on the shelf, a thin volume of poetry. The front flap notes "This volume contains the poems upon which Sandburg's reputation and career were established."

The NPR Morning Edition interview with the editor, Paul Berman, refers to this as a new collection focusing on the Midwestern poet's early works, what the editor calls Sandburg's "great period."

On the back flap of the book, 'eminent critic Malcolm Cowley once observed that Carl Sandburg 'turned the Mid-western voice into a sort of music". Paul Berman divided the poems into seven sections. 'Fog' is not in the 'Chicago' or 'Fogs and Fires' sections but in 'Handfuls' (page 81). I wonder why he put it there?

The fog comes...
...and then moves on.


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Fog

Every time I see the fog hovering over the ground, I remember Carl Sandburg's poem "Fog".

I used LION (Literature Online) which "is a full-text library of over 330,000 works of British and American poetry, drama and prose" to find the poem.

Entering the word 'fog' brought up 206 poems. I knew the author so I could scroll through the alphabetized list to find the specific poem. What if I had forgotten "Sandburg"?

I went to the Texts search page. There I have limiters that might help find the poem. I selected the tab Poetry.
1. I typed in cat's feet as keywords and fog as in the title. Sandburg's poem did not come up. Guy Carryl and Kenneth Rexroth have written poems that include cat's feet and fog.
2. Trying again, I entered cat and fog- 6 entries and Carl's poem was there.

I was able to scan the list which included a few lines for each poem to get to Carl Sandburg:
...The fog comes on little cat feet....
...sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then

Using cat's was my downfall. I think cat feet might have produced better results. I'll try a third search.

3. Yes, searching under the poetry tab, cat feet as the key word, fog as the title pulled up just one result- Carl Sandburg's, Fog.

Teaching students how to process the search results and finagle what you ask for until you get the correct response is tricky. You just have to keep trying!

CTC Library subscribes to LION. It is available through GALILEO. Your Campus Librarian can give you the current password.

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Just the facts

CTC Library subscribes to Facts.com aka Facts on File. Facts.com offers 5 databases covering Today's Science, Health, Writing, World News, and Issues & Controversies.

In ENG 1101, when the students are assigned a paper involving research into a topic with two sides, we encourage them to use Issues and Controversies. There are several tips I share with students to help them find exactly what they are looking for, without as much trial and error as I go through.

I admit I haven't explored the other Facts.com resources. Because of Mole Day and Avogadro, I decided to look at 'Today's Science' which "bridges the gap between the science that students learn in the classroom and the discoveries pushing the boundaries of science today."

There are two routes to access Today's Science in Facts.com. The easiest way is to go to the CTC Library page and scroll down to Social Issues, Current Events & History. You'll need the login/password from your CTC Librarian to get in.

The other route is through GALILEO (you need the password from your Georgia librarian)
..Databases A-Z
....Select F
......Select Facts. com
........Select Today's Science (you still need the login/password but it's right there in the red link on the Select F page before you click on Facts.com)

Now that we're in, I did a search for Avogadro. I searched a couple of times because I am having trouble keeping the vowels in the correct location. I finally did a search for 'mole' so I could get the correct spelling for the scientists name.

What did I find on Avogadro? 4 articles, one as recent as 2007, and 12 encyclopedia entries. The first article, "Pick A Number, But Not Any Number: Redefining Avogadro's Number and the Kilogram", provided the mug picture in the upper corner. Ms. Bai also had a portrait of Avogadro. At first glance I thought of Gollum. The eyes are so large. I digress. The article reviewed the history of Avogadro's number and tied in the current field of science with references to two scientists at Georgia Tech, who are redefining the exact value of the Avogadro's number!

My brain is fogging as I think of the size of the numbers. Many ways to get more information. Check with your CTC Librarian for access to current and reliable information.

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Picture from : Bai, Nina Yu. "Pick A Number, But Not Any Number: Redefining Avogadro's Number and the Kilogram." Today’s Science. Facts On File News Services, Oct. 2007. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. .

Better living

At this point, we don't have a Chemistry Library Guide. There are a dozen Chemistry classes being offered in the Spring. I think we'll want to create a Chemistry guide.

The question becomes- should there be one for inorganic, organic, just plain old chemistry or a combination of the three with tabs for type of chemistry?

Something to ponder.


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Mole Day

My brother-in-law finds the most interesting 'days':

Mole Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists on October 23, between 6:02 AM and 6:02 PM, making the time/date 6:02 10/23 in the American style of writing dates. The time and date are derived from Avogadro's number, which is approximately 6.02×1023, defining the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in one mole of substance, one of the seven base SI units.

My sister-in-law remembered "That's 10 to the 23rd - pretty much the only thing I remember from high school chemistry!" I had no clue as to what they were talking about. I must have drifted that day in class.

A little research helps fill in the blanks of knowledge. Our catalog notes over 150,000 titles. Surely there will be answers to be found. I did a search in our catalog for 'mole'. Nada. I did a search for 'Avogadro'. Still nothing in the catalog.

Where could I find Avogadro? E-books are easy to search through, individually and as a group. A search for the subject 'chemistry' turned up a few titles. I selected an EBSCO e-book, Organic Chemist's Desk Reference.
..To search within a title, you must first select 'E-Book Full Text' (on the left side of the screen).
.....The second step is to select the search icon that looks like a magnifying glass over a piece of paper (right side of the screen at the top on the tool bar that runs down the right side of the document).
I searched in that title for Avogadro. Zero results.

To search throughout all of the Ebsco e-books for Avogadro, I used the main search box at the top of the screen. I needed to clear the box of the number for , Organic Chemist's Desk Reference. That search retrieved 13 titles! More books than I wanted to look through to sate my curiosity.

Where could I find just enough information about Avogadro? Reminds me of Goldilocks- first too little, then too much- what would be just right?

Among the more than 500 reference books, Credo Reference has just the right amount of information on both the man and the concept. Avogadro from Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary gives the definition. Avogadro , (Lorenzo Romano) Amedio (Carlo) (1776 - 1856) from The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists tells about the man, himself!

Credo Reference is available on our Library page with the password. It is also available through GALILEO.

Your CTC campus librarian can give you the logins!


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