Lists

Sometimes you want a list of titles on a particular subject. Our catalog can help you pull together that list by selecting the 'keep' box next to an item. Yet, we may not have the variety you want. Where else can you get a list of books on a subject?

There is a print resource that is most helpful in providing lists by subject and author.

For teachers, librarians, and parents, this reference of nonfiction and fiction children's picture books has about 28,000 titles in 1,350 subjects to aid in book choice. The volume begins with a subject guide listing books alphabetically by author name, followed by a bibliographic guide by author, with publication information and correlated subjects, and indexes by title and illustrator. Book listings only feature their subjects; they are not described. The introduction outlines the origins of the picture book in the English language. Carolyn and John Lima are former librarians at the San Diego Public Library. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Children's books aren't just for children anymore. Some children's books have amazing illustrations which convey the information from the text. Children's books can usually be read aloud in under 30 minutes.

See how a picture book can spark a discussion or illuminate your presentation!

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What to read next?

Sometimes people ask the librarian, what do you suggest I read next? We call that conversation 'Readers Advisory'. One tool to use for Readers Advisory is NoveList.

an online readers' advisory tool that helps readers find new books based on books they've read or on topics in which they are interested. NoveList provides enhanced subject access to over 125,000 fiction titles and more than 90,000 full-text book reviews or annotations.

Who else do you ask, besides the librarian and the book store clerk, about something good to read? Did you check out books in the pre-computer era where there were cards in the back of the book that you signed? At my first library, students would use that card to figure out if the book was any good, solely based on who had read it before them! Word of mouth is a fine way to find out what might be a fun read.

On a cataloging list, an article was shared about the Muncie Library circulation ledgers. As a genealogy bug, I know the 1890 census was destroyed. This database gives a clue as to who lived in Muncie from 1891 to 1902. Better yet, it tells you what they were reading. What we consider the classics of Mark Twain and Jane Austen were regularly read by the folks of Indiana.

If you had kin in Muncie at the end of the 19th century, would you like to know if they were using their public library and what they were reading? This Readers Advisory just might help you find your relative and get to know a little bit about them. It might inspire you to read what they read.

We no longer keep the record of individual borrowers after an item is returned. Privacy is a two edged sword. I'm glad the Muncie ledgers survived to let us know what really was being read!

-and another thought- American Lit aficionados might find this database extraordinarily enlightening. What was the MidWest reading at that time?

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If you want a current Readers Advisory tool use NoveList
Your Georgia librarian can give you the current password to GALILEO
..Select the tab Databases A-Z
....Select N
......Scroll down a bit to NoveList

Keeping up

Tax information changes rapidly. We have four copies of Deduct it!. They range in copyright dates from 2004 to 2011.

The 7th edition (2011) is on the shelf at the Marietta campus library. The older editions are available electronically through Ebsco.

It might be interesting to do a compare and contrast between the 2004 edition and the 2011, 7th edition. While searching for a cover image, the 8th edition popped up. 'Deduct It!' seems to be an annual publication. Many folks purchase the new TurboTax every year. It makes sense that a new book would be needed, too.

Changes in the tax code, how do you keep up?


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Check with your CTC Librarian for the log in to use the Ebsco books.

Checking it twice

It's getting close to the end of the IRS fiscal year. Do you have your deductions in order? Is there something you could do to maximize your financial worth?

Our Accounting program offers a Tax Preparation Specialist Certificate. You might not want to be a tax preparer for others but this certificate could help you with your personal or small business taxes. It is too late for the April 2012 tax cycle but keep the certificate in mind for something to complete before April 2013.

To help you right now, we have a Library Guide for Accounting. Check out the box on the Articles tab with directions for setting up an alert in the Accounting database in GALILEO. The alert is an invaluable resource for keeping up with current information.

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Your Georgia librarian can give you the GALILEO password.

Narrowing the digital search

Learning how to narrow a search can be frustrating. One needs to know the source one is using- what is in this database? One needs to have a clear search term - using one word might pull up a plethora of information while using a synonym pulls up nothing. What is a novice researcher to do?

A scroll through Databases A-Z in GALILEO revealed Career & Technical Education by [ProQuest}"which includes several hundred full-text titles in the area of vocational information". A look at the Publications list notes 798 titles are available, that is a few more than "several hundred". The regular ProQuest has 11207 titles listed in Publications.

Already I can see how Career & Technical Education by ProQuest has helped me narrow my search. They have selected titles that apply to technical education. There are specific titles for Automotive, Cosmetology and Horticulture.

Comparing the publication lists of the specialized database with the regular ProQuest, shows that what is in Career & Technical Education really will meet the specific needs of our technical students information needs.


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

Sneak Peek

A change is coming from ebrary -

"ebrary is getting a new look! Over the next few weeks, we are updating the standard design of our customer sites. We believe the simplified instructions and graphical subject areas of the new design will make the research experience faster and more enjoyable for patrons." Preview the new design.

You've read my mumbling about ebrary. My quick perusal of the preview didn't silence the mumbles.
- I don't see a print option, though their competition offers printing and pdf e-mailing.
- I don't see a citation option, though it continues to list all the info you'd need to create a citation. Their competition offers citations ready to use.
- The 'search all of ebrary' box is still prominent above the book while the 'search the particular book' box is off to the right.

The new graphic interface at the opening of the resource might not get much use from our students. We have links directly from the catalog to the individual ebrary title.

We'll see if this effort makes a difference in use. Check out the Preview for yourself. If you need a login, check with your CTC librarian.


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Look who is fifty

Adam Gopnik wrote for the New Yorker in October:

Our cult of decade anniversaries—the tenth of 9/11, the twentieth of “Nevermind”—are for the most part mere accidents of our fingers: because we’ve got five on each hand, we count things out in tens and hundreds. And yet the fifty-year birthday of a good children’s book marks a real passage, since it means that the book hasn’t been passed just from parent to child but from parent to child and on to child again.

[More]

NPR played an interview with Norman Juster on November 29th.

Both sources gave me intriguing information about this classic, that I admit, I haven't read. Using World Cat shows me the nearest library that owns the book. I'm going to use Inter Library Loan to borrow a copy and read this work!


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Is it real?

We're into the crunch time for research. There are just a few weeks left till this first semester at CTC is over.

The campus libraries are filled with students finding and using resources both online and in print.

It seems easy to me to use GALILEO for quality information. Yet, sometimes what a student thinks they need isn't readily apparent in one of the databases.

They resort to a quick Google search. We know this is going to happen. To help students decide if the site they are using is authoritative, we've created an Evaluating Websites guide. It's not as comprehensive as some evaluation links but we do offer hints and tips on how to decide if a web site is going to be helpful.

We encourage care as you hurry to finish your research. Make sure the web resource you are using meets the standard of academic rigor you are striving for!


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Still stuffed

My stomach has yet to recover from eating too much, too often, over the holiday. Going from one family event to another, where the host expects to be honored, not only by your presence, but by your consuming the delectables presented, leads to indigestion. What is one to do to alleviate the consequences of plain old gluttony?

CTC Library subscribes to several health databases. Each requires a login if accessed from the CTC Library page. All are also listed in GALILEO. Your CTC Librarian can give you the passwords to the individual resources or to GALILEO.

From the CTC Library page, I chose Facts on File : Health Reference Center to look for indigestion information. 81 articles were pulled. The three column results format makes it easy to see what might be helpful. The first column has title and source. The second column notes article, drug, and article overview. The third column allows you to save the item.

Is there a way to sort the information? I checked 'Help'. The FAQ
did not offer a suggestion for sorting. The Advanced Search option has the Boolean search limiters, type of source, and date limiters for News Articles. News Articles can be sorted by date. That option seems to be the only way to 'sort' and it is totally limited to News Articles.

It's not difficult to scroll through the list. What I found were articles that discussed ways to prevent indigestion. One article did describe using baking soda to help alleviate a bit of discomfort. Several drug articles with references on how the drug may cause indigestion. Hmm. Not much help with my current problem.

I think I may just have to wait this out. The consequence of gluttony is a bit of discomfort!


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Catch 22

Have you lived through a Catch 22 situation?

Most of us have been caught in some bureaucratic circle of unreasonableness. My circle has to do with my internet provider, Comcast.

I have an internet phone service that ties to the Comcast cable modem. Here's where the Catch 22 begins- when the internet doesn't work, the phone doesn't work. My modem chose to not light up. It seemed to have quit. I was able to schedule a service call. The tech never showed up. When I reached a phone that worked and called Comcast, I was told the tech tried to call but because I didn't answer, they cancelled the service call.

Can you see my hair curling?

I had no phone service at home because I had no internet access. Without the phone service, the tech couldn't tell me they were coming. No internet, no phone, no service. What makes it more interesting is the lack of awareness by the Comcast service people to this conundrum. They really don't see the problem.

Who can I write to that might have a modicum of common sense?

Here's where GALILEO fills the bill for company research. We have access to Hoover's Company Capsules and Profiles which "includes information on more than 40,000 companies, 600 industries, and 225,000 key executives". A search for Comcast Cable Communications, LLC provides a full page of names with a corporate address, FAX and phone. Yes, now I have a name to put in the salutation of my concerned customer missive.


When you have something to say to a business, get the name of the person who might care enough to respond to your concern.
GALILEO - your Georgia librarian can give you the password
...Databases A-Z
.....H
.......Hoover's Company Capsules and Profiles

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Aaahhhh, can you smell it?

Some cooks have begun to prepare for the family feast. Pumpkin pies are baking. Cranberries are popping for the sauce. Cinnamon scents the air. If you haven't begun, it's not too late to find just the right recipe to recreate your holiday memory.

I've talked about finding recipes in ProQuest and Ebsco. You can type the ingredient in the search box and limit the search to recipes. Both resources let you print, save and e-mail.

We have a sizable print collection of cooking books to support our Culinary programs. I want a book that could be used right now. With both ebrary and EBSCO books offering the download option, the cookbooks in those electronic collections become incredibly handy. I've talked about how once you've opened a book in either collection, you may search the full text of every book in the collection.

A search for cookbook while limiting the search to the Electronic Books, retrieved 75 titles with cookbook somewhere in the text (title or subject or description). I selected the first EBSCO title and then searched for cranberries. That full text search pulled up 65 titles. Interesting to see the mix of science, bar tending, health, and cooking information from a full text search for cranberries. Now to pick a title and search within that particular book to see what I can find about cooking with cranberries!

Sometimes the searching is just as satisfying as the finding. Happy Thanksgiving. I'll be back on Monday.


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To use ProQuest and Ebsco in GALILEO get the current password from your Georgia librarian.

To use the e-book collections off campus, get the login information from your CTC librarian. Don't forget most campus libraries will be closed after 8pm tonight until Monday morning.

Magic words

Do you remember as a child, hearing the reminder, use the magic words? This is the week to use the magic words with people you see rarely but are connected with through the ties that bind.


I see rude people isn't a manners book in the way that Etiquette & manners is. The reviews on Amazon for
I see rude people clearly point out this is Ms. Alkon's response to what she has encountered in public. It might be helpful as one travels over the holiday weekend to keep her anecdotes in mind. Some of the ways, she helps others polish their manners, are refreshing.

Yet, when faced with what to say, which utensil to use, and do I bring a house gift,Etiquette & manners would be the better selection.

Both are available through our electronic book collection. Both can be downloaded into an e-reader. Check with your CTC librarian for the login to the electronic book collections.

Most campus libraries will have limited hours on Wednesday (some of us will be closed entirely).



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Short week

Public schools in Cherokee County are closed this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. The roads felt a little less congested on the way to work.

CTC is 'open' on Wednesday, no classes will be held but some offices are open. The campus libraries will have limited hours on Wednesday and be closed Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Check with your campus librarian before heading for the library!


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The North Metro campus library will be closed on Wednesday, so you don't need to check with us.

Eight

Every Friday, if you subscribe to the quiz, Credo Reference sends out a short, fun quiz to draw you into using their database of over 500 reference books. The quiz is available to everyone on the Credo blog.

=======
All the questions in this week's brainteaser concern the number eight and things with "eight" in their names.

1. Which popular music group released a song in 1964 called "Eight Days a Week"?

2. What are or were "pieces of eight"?

3. What is the meaning of the phrase "be (or have had) one over the eight"?

4. In popular music, what is the "middle eight"?

5. In mathematics, a horizontal figure of eight is a symbol of what?

6. What is the meaning of the phrase "behind the eight ball"?

7. Who wrote the 1966 novel "When Eight Bells Toll"?

8. The G8 or Group of Eight is an organization of the eight leading industrial nations of the world. Can you name four of them?

9. In 1984, Peter Hyams directed a sequel to the film "2001: a Space Odyssey". Fans of the original movie were not impressed and gave it the alternative title "Ten Past Eight". What was Hyams' film actually called?

10. The Warsaw Pact was a military defensive alliance between eight countries: the USSR and seven East European communist states. Can you name five members of the Warsaw Pact?

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

Find the answers here, or copy and paste this link into your browser address bar: http://blog.credoreference.com/2011/11/credo-reference-brainteaser-eight/

============

I like how they include a link to the citation with each answer.

You may remember from the October quiz, that I knew nothing about music. I can answer a few of these. How many did you 'know'?


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To access Credo reference check with your CTC librarian for the login.

1951 was a very good year

Americans know that the Fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving. Do they know the significance of the Third Thursday in November?

Here we go - a few facts about Beaujolais Nouveau which was released at midnight.
When did the release of the new wine become a big deal? It's been a big deal in rural France for decades. To regulate the industry, in 1951, November 15 was designated as the release date. In 1985 the date was changed to the 3rd Thursday in November. This gave a weekend for enjoying the wine.

A Google search reveals multiple sites with information about Beaujolais Nouveau 2011.

The question is, can I find something about beaujolais nouveau in our library resources? A scroll through GALILEO hunting for a gastronomic database didn't turn up anything specifically relating to consumption of food and drink. Yet, Hospitality & Tourism Complete covers scholarly research and industry news relating to all areas of hospitality and tourism. Coverage includes periodicals, company and country reports, and books from domestic and international sources. Subject areas include culinary arts, demographics and statistics, development and investment, food and beverage management, hospitality law, hotel management and administrative practices, leisure and business travel, market trends, technology, and more. This EBSCO database might have something informative about wine.

A search for Beaujolais Nouveau did pull up articles. I realized the first few were not full text. The purple Find It button gives helpful clues on which library holds the periodical. Limiting my search to full text pulled up this 2005 article, Beaujolais Nouveau, the abstract tells me it-

presents information on the Beaujolais Nouveau wine. Beaujolais Nouveau is a French wine made from Gamay grapes. It is made by the special combination of carbonic maceration and pasteurization. It is best served chilled. It looks like a red wine but tastes like a white wine.

And, it can be translated into French!


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GALILEO, your Georgia librarian has the password
...Databases A-Z
....H
......Hospitality & Tourism Complete

That's Greek to me

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that EBSCO had a translation feature but it had not been activated.

GALILEO has a 'Contact Us' link in the upper right side of the screen. Within 24 hours of contacting GALILEO, the translation features had been turned on in EBSCO.

There are two translation options. One translates the interface. That option is at the top of the screen to the right under Languages. It does not list Greek (as far as I can tell), even though Greek is listed in the Help section as one of the languages for the interface.

After you find the article and open it, scroll below the abstract and article details to a drop down translate box. That list does offer Greek as an option.

EBSCO translates articles in the databases I spot checked- Academic Search, Student Research Center, Regional News, and Primary Search. The interface can be translated in Books but not the content. Neither interface nor content seem translatable in NoveList.

The translate option is good for students (of any age) and immigrants! My guess is the translation may not be grammatically perfect but it's close enough. Language teachers might find the translate option handy for classwork or homework assignments.

Get the GALILEO password from your Georgia librarian and read to your hearts content in the language of your choice!


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Action

How does one tell a story effectively with moving pictures? I've seen enough You Tube videos to know some of us have the skill for visual story telling and some of us do not. It's not just the visual idea but the execution of that idea that can make a video become viral!

CTC offers a Television Production Technology degree.

The Television Production Technology program is designed to allow students to gain education and training for careers in the television production field. Learning opportunities develop academic, technical, and professional knowledge and skills required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement.

The program emphasizes a combination of technical courses and supporting courses. Graduates of the program will have a wide variety of job opportunities in the television production field in the areas of video, audio, lighting, animation, and non-linear editing.

There is a Library guide to assist students in the program. In addition to the standard Book and Article pages, there are pages for Film Festivals, Film Reviews, and Film Schools. The News Sources page has RSS feeds for four film info sources including Variety. The RSS feeds keep the guide current without a lot of attention from the library staff.

The Film Library guide isn't just for students!




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More visual

Thinking about the visual led me to search the catalog for 'history pictures'. Admittedly not an erudite search strategy but still it brought up 357 titles.

My quick skim of titles did reveal one that seems most appropriate to the thought of the day (visual history)- American History Goes to the Movies: Hollywood and the American Experience .

From the Book Description on Amazon - "Whether they prefer blockbusters, historical dramas, or documentaries, people learn much of what they know about history from the movies. In American History Goes to the Movies, W. Bryan Rommel-Ruiz shows how popular representations of historic events shape the way audiences understand the history of the United States, including American representations of race and gender, and stories of immigration, especially the familiar narrative of the American Dream." [more]

Best of all, this is an e-book that you can read right now! It is in the EBSCO collection, get the login information from your CTC Librarian.



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What are you watching?

There are a plethora of online options for viewing pleasure from NetFlix and Comcast, to CNN and other news organizations. What if you want to review real history? Not historical fiction, not a sound bite, but an event.

GALILEO offers a link to the C-SPAN Video Library.

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

The C-SPAN Video Library is available freely on the net but would you remember it was there? The GALILEO link is another reason Georgians turn first to their Online Library! Resources gathered to help Georgia residents.


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More downloading

Our director forwarded this info:

ebrary is pleased to announce that you and your patrons may now download ebrary content to computers and other devices including the iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and Sony Reader!

For an overview of how it works, please refer to our training presentation.

It's active in our ebrary books! The green arrow download link is live. One can 'borrow' the book for 14 days.

I have to get an e-reader.

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To login to ebrary, enter your student ID.

What does that say?

The translation feature in various databases intrigues me. Most databases do not translate the content but they will translate the interface.

- Ebrary translates into 10 languages for the interface.
- EBSCO does not translate the interface or the content (Not true. Clicking on the [Help ?] provides a link to information about translations for the interface and the content. The link needs to be enabled by the system administrator. I've contacted GALILEO.)
- Credo translates into 7 languages for the interface but not the content.
- ProQuest translates into 18 languages for the interface and 14 for the content.

I wonder why they pick the languages they pick? English, French, Spanish seem to be standards but Arabic, German, Italian and Russian pop up. The Asian languages are in the mix as well. What is missing is Greek. I know the Greek alphabet is different but if they can do several Asian languages (Japanese, Korean, & Chinese), Russian, and Arabic, then why not Greek?

EBSCO does translate into Greek according to their info screen. I'm looking forward to GALILEO responding to my query about the translation function in EBSCO.

In most resources, one can at least navigate in ones native language even if the content is in your second or third language. The translate option lets you begin to practice your communication skills!



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Just because

Somewhere a volcano is steadily spewing lava. The video on the news was fascinating. Unfortunately, I didn't pick up where this volcano was shooting forth tall spikes of lava. Using Google to search for volcano current pulled up US volcano sites. Nothing on the first two pages seemed 'right'. I noticed on the left side, options for other types of searches. I selected news. The very first group provided video similar to what I thought I remembered seeing on TV!

Google provides access to web sites that might be authoritative but then again might be hoaxes. I want more information about volcanoes. I'd like to use books for a little more in depth information. Yes, I could search in our catalog and limit my search to Electronic Books but I want to explore a different resource.

In GALILEO there is a Book Collection: Nonfiction. This is an EBSCO product which is a cross-curricular research database that contains abstracts and searchable full text for more than 4,000 popular nonfiction books for youth on core subject areas, as well as information on careers, health, sports, adventure, technology, life skills, and more. It provides content representing a wide spectrum of works, including popular series from top book publishers such as Allosaurus Publishers, Bess Press, Inc., Branden Publishing, Capstone Press, Compass Point Books, Fulcrum Publishing, Lerner Publishing Group, Mason Crest Publishers, Morgan Reynolds, Inc., Morning Glory Press, Oliver Press, Rourke Publishing, LLC and Stackpole Books.

The collection is aimed at K-12. There will be more pictures. The text will be simpler. I think it might be just right for me!

Clicking on the
link brings you to the standard EBSCO search page. I'm not particularly fond of this screen. Once you're inside EBSCO, the user screens are much easier on the eyes.

A nice feature is that the books may be downloaded as an MP3 file. You get to choose the accent of the reader and the speed the material is read. The American accent is female, the British accent is male, and the Australian accent is female. I found the fast reading speed sounded the least mechanical. The words are highlighted as the reader pronounces them. This could be a super tool for anyone practicing their reading skills.

There are multiple books on volcanoes. I feel informed!

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Go to GALILEO - your Georgia librarian has the current password
...Select Databases A-Z
.....Select B
........Select Book Collection: Nonfiction

The body knows

That phrase brings the radio show, the Shadow, to mind - "who knows what evil lurks" .

With the hyper holiday season looming, the Morning Edition story on NPR today has had me thinking about weight, diet, and health. How do we say 'no'? How do we pick wisely?

Our Early Childhood Care and Education program has a class on Health, Safety and Nutrition, with a Library Guide. Under Internet sources there is a page of nutrition links. Making healthy choices begins early. There's no time like today to get ready for the holiday season!

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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!


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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!


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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.

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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