Something new to me

Scrolling through GALILEO's Databases A-Z, I ran across a database that was new to me-
Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG) "A searchable online catalog of thousands of Internet resources evaluated and selected by librarians." The service aims to provide a trusted source of selected, high quality Internet information for researchers and practitioners in the social sciences, business and law. It is part of the UK Resource Discovery Network.

It may have a more European slant but at least a person has looked at the site to evaluate it.

You know that the wild web is wild for a reason, no one is in charge- using SOSIG or SKS WebSelect gives you a fighting chance at weeding out the junk web sites.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to all citizens of Georgia from their librarian. Some resources noted on this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

What does that mean?

Literary criticism can be mystifying. What do they mean by "Middle English" or "situational irony"?

The answers are in our Reference section. The Longman Dictionary of Literary Terms " (REF PN 44.5) is a user friendly primer of critical terms, aimed at undergraduates getting their first taste of serious literary study."

This week I've pulled print resources to answer questions where the answer wasn't being found on the internet (not even in GALILEO). Not everything has been digitized (yet).

On-line classes

VCRs were first used to "time shift". You could save a television program and then watch it at your convenience. On-line classes offer that same opportunity. Sometimes the on campus class is offered at a time that is inconvenient for you (you're working, for example). The on-line class offers you the chance to take the class when it fits your schedule.

On-line classes aren't "easier", nor are they less time consuming - if a class takes two hours in the classroom plus homework....the on line class will take two hours in front of the computer plus homework...keep in mind that a 5 minute lecture is one page of printed text.

Orientation for online classes is held before registration. There will be an orientation today (Wednesday Nov 16) at 10:30 and again offered 3 times tomorrow (Thursday Nov 17) - 10:30, 2:30, and 5:30.

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Opinions wanted

GALILEO is doing a survey to find out the users' opinion. The survey icon is at the bottom of GALILEO's opening screen on the left.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Now is the time

Last week was advisement for current students.
This week is early registration!

Once you have been advised, you'll get the pin number to get on BANNER where you'll be able to register.

I gather there is a glitch with the pin numbers distributed last week during advisement....you may need to come to school to get the correct pin number. Admissions cannot give those numbers over the phone.

Sign up now for Winter Quarter

One who has served

Today we honor those who have served in the military. As someone else has noted,
we are the land of the free because of the brave.

From the OED ("The Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium." The OED gives definitions, etymological analysis, and quotations to demonstrate the use of words in the English language over time. )

Veteran n. and a.
....1. a. One who has had long experience in military service; an old soldier.
.......b. Any ex-serviceman. Chiefly N. Amer. Not always distinguishable from sense 1a.
....2. One who has seen long service in any office or position; an experienced or aged person.

From the Encyclopedia Britannica: "World War I ended with the Allied and Central Powers signing an armistice on Nov. 11, 1918, and people around the world rejoiced at the cease-fire. In 1919, United States President Woodrow Wilson marked the one-year anniversary of the event by proclaiming November 11 Armistice Day. The day became a federal legal holiday in 1938. After World War II, veterans groups and other organizations campaigned to have Armistice Day restructured into an occasion recognizing all veterans of service in the United States military. In 1954, after the Korean War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill officially changing the name to Veterans Day. "

Both of these resources can be found in GALILEO.

NMTC does have a print version of Encyclopedia Britannica in the Reference collection if you'd like to flip through the pages!

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

What do I want to be?

Do you remember adults asking you what you wanted to be when you grew up? Are you still asking yourself that question? This is advisement week for current students at NMTC. Get with your advisor to make sure you're on track to finish your program so you can be what you want to be.

If you're still not sure what you want to be.....check out the Career & Technical Education database in GALILEO. This is a ProQuest database which "contains over 400 titles, all in full text and many in full image, which contain the charts, diagrams, graphs, tables, photos, and other graphics originally published with the text. Subjects include automobile, electronic, and computer technology; the building trades; graphic arts; medicine, nursing, and pharmacy; child care; food service and hotel management; office skills; veterinary technology; retail work; public safety; and other practical studies."

North Metro offers programs in most (not all) of these areas.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

What is that growing there?

It would be nice to have a guide to crops grown near highways or big signs that declare this field has "xyz" planted. (Farmers might not think that was a good use of their resources.) I'm always asking "what do you think that crop is?" as we drive through Georgia on the interstate. Young plants look different than full grown plants (at least to this city person).

Our collection of horticulture books includes a large selection of electronic books. I searched our card catalog using the keyword "crops". An electronic book available through netLibrary , The new Oxford book of food plants (c1997) by J. G. Vaughan, was on the list. Interesting color illustrations for the food. Some illustrations show the plant at various stages.

Guess if I had a wireless computer I could check the book as we were driving along.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Reading by flashlight

Did you read by flashlight under the covers when you were a child? So excited to read, desperate to find out what happened next?

Now, there's no time to get to the library, no time to pick out a book to read for fun.
What is an old flashlight reader to do?

Yes, I'm going to send you to GALILEO and then to netLibrary! You can read an entire book on-line instead of surfing the web during a break (well at least a portion of the book - a little at a time- kind of like the old days).

GALILEO staff have worked with netLibrary to authenticate access through GALILEO. One password to GALILEO gets you in and then you have access to the netLibrary book for 15 minutes. You can create your "free" account in netLibrary and borrow the book for 4 hours.
NMTC has purchased additional sets of e-books. Our patrons have access to over 34,000 electronic books in netLibrary.

GALILEO
.....Databases A-Z
.........Jump to N
............select netLibrary


The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Advisement

Merriam Webster (in GALILEO through Encyclopedia Britannica) says:
Main Entry: ad·vise·ment
Pronunciation: ed-vz-mnt
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : careful consideration : DELIBERATION
2 : the act or process of advising (as a college student)



This is the week for advisement for current students. Get with your advisor to make sure you're on track to finish your program in a timely fashion. Early registration is next week.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Ah- the old time newsboy - shouting the availability of current news. In todays information glut you can read the news before it happens through internet sites of all shades and persuasions.

But if you like to read the news after someone has a chance to check facts and get the timeline straight...then newspapers are for you! Here is one source on GALILEO that is focused on newspaper articles:

Newspaper Source (EbscoHost database) provides current information from daily feeds from the Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News and Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service Newspaper Source as well as cover to cover coverage of The Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Times (London), and The Toronto Star. The database also contains selected full text from more than 180 regional (U.S.) newspapers, including The Macon Telegraph, Savannah Morning News, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit Free Press, and The Miami Herald. In addition, full text television & radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News.

It doesn't have every article from every paper. I did a spot check for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It's only available at school.


The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Checking the facts

Folks used to believe if it was in print, it must be true. That belief in the authority of a published work has transferred to the internet - "isn't everything available on the internet?" , "isn't everything on the internet true?" (real questions from real people).

GALILEO offers SKS WebSelect- a database of Internet sites that have been selected by a person and looked at to make sure the site is authoritative.

For the people who are sure everything on the internet is true -here's a website that might be good to use to discuss the problems with accepting everything on the Internet at face value Dihydrogen Monoxide - DHMO Homepage.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

That's where it was!

A few weeks ago I wrote about photographs of cities showing what was no longer around. Today let me share - maps that document what once was:

"The Digital Library of Georgia is pleased to announce the availability
of a new online resource: Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Georgia Towns and Cities, 1884-1922.

The digital collection consists of 4,445 maps by the Sanborn Map Company
depicting commercial, industrial, and residential areas for 133
municipalities. Originally designed for fire insurance assessment, the
color-coded maps relate the location and use of buildings, 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."
The Sanborn Maps database is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia
as part of Georgia HomePLACE. The project is supported with federal LSTA
funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services
through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of
Regents of the University System of Georgia. The maps represented are
from the University of Georgia Libraries Map Collection.

"Sanborn," "Sanborn Map," "Sanborn Map Company," and "Sanborn Fire
Insurance Maps" are recognized trademarks of the Sanborn Map Company, a
subsidiary of Environmental Data Resources, Inc. (EDR). The presentation
of the historic maps on this site is in no way connected with either the
Sanborn Map Company or Environmental Data Resources, Inc."

GALILEO
......Digital Library of Georgia (center of the page next to GALILEO Planet, right above Quick Help)
.........Collections A-Z (scroll down on the left)
............Jump to S
................Scroll down past the Sam's to Sanborn

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Leaf color

Driving around town one sees gorgeous reds and oranges and yellows. It's like being in a paint box! So what causes the leaves to change colors?

Look in Access Science @ McGraw Hill in GALILEO. I used the search term "Autumn leaf color" (in quotes). Photoperiodism seems to best explain the change in colors.

"AccessScience@McGraw-Hill: The Online Encyclopedia of Science & Technology is the web version of McGraw-Hill's authoritative, print multi-volume counterpart. Included in the online version are The McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, weekly science and technology news articles, research updates, comprehensive and current science biographies, study guides, recommended web sites. The major subjects areas covered in AccessScience are: Agriculture, Forestry & Soils; Anthropology & Archaelogy; Astronomy & Space Science; Biological & Biomedical Science; Chemistry; Computing & Information Technology; Data, Tables, and Tools; Earth Science; Engineering & Materials; Environmental Science; Food Science & Technology; General Science & Technology; Mathematics; Medicine; Military Science; Navigation; Paleontology; Physics; Psychiatry & Psychology; and Veterinary Medicine.
Database provider: A McGraw-Hill Database"

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

All Hallows Eve

This is a holy day for some Christians- the Eve of All Saints Day. Encyclopedia Britannica has information about Halloween- its history and evolution into a more adult oriented holiday.

On This Day in Encyclopedia Britannica according to tradition, Martin Luther this day in 1517 posted on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, his Ninety-five Theses, a manifesto that turned a protest about an indulgence scandal into the Protestant Reformation.

I wonder what Martin Luther would think of Halloween in the United States?

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

The weekend is upon us

Fall leaves turning gorgeous colors.
Cool air invigorating the senses.

Falling back in time on Saturday night (Sunday morning).
All Hallows Eve on Monday.
Tricks and treats and costumes.

Is it reliable?

When you're surfing around the web... how do you know a web site is authoritative, that the information is correct? I tell the SCT 100 classes that we could create a very good web site noting Acworth as the capital of Georgia! Some poor kid is going to find our site, happily print it out, turn it over to the teacher and fail that Social Studies assignment. There is no one to stop us or make us put the correct information on our web site. So who do you trust?

You know I'm sending you to GALILEO.

There is a database in GALILEO - SKS WebSelect that is an online database of Internet resources providing access to quality Web sites on almost any subject. WebSelect is continually updated to include new sites and dynamically changing data. Summaries provide a concise overview of site content and authority. Keyword, Subject Heading, and Topic Browse searches can be performed. Topics are assigned based on site content and mission. WebSelect is dynamically updated and offers Internet resources from around the globe, including those of leading universities, government agencies and respected organizations.

Look at SKS Web Select and read the Encyclopedia Britannica before you go searching on the wild web. Build your foundation of knowledge, get the correct facts then you'll be able to quickly assess whether a site is accurate!

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Cite your sources

Faculty regularly say "cite your sources". You must tell your reader where you got the information. GALILEO has a quick tutorial on citing sources.

At the ProQuest workshop I learned there is a way to create a bibliography within ProQuest - the sources will be cited using APA or MLA or several other ways of citing sources.
How can you make it do this?

Go to GALILEO
.....Select Research Library (at ProQuest) [on the left side of the screen, to the right of South America]
..........Search for your topic
................Open the document - read, decide if that's the one you'll use in your report (yesterday I wrote this is where you can translate the document)
......................If this is a "keeper" - notice the box - Mark document (center of the screen to the right of Email) click on that box
See how the last green tab (My Research) has a document in it?

Keep opening and reading the articles. When you're finished with your reading and note taking and marking the articles, the My Research tab will have quite a few documents in it.

Click on the My Research tab
The top link says Create your bibliography. Once you've selected that link note the options you have available to you!
Print- if you cancel the print job you can read the bibliography on the screen
Download offers you the opportunity to save the file as a text file on a floppy or flash drive or the hard drive.

Great way to make sure you've got the bibliography in the correct format.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

Better late than never

Whew- it's already the end of the day.

Proquest (a database on GALILEO) offered two online workshops today. At both workshops helpful tips were offered on using the database.

The best thing I learned was - Proquest will translate the articles into a variety of languages.

Open the document and there is a Translate document into drop down screen. Voila- Chinese, French, Spanish, Italian, etc.....they do note that the translation is "on the fly" so it may be a bit rough around the edges in terms of grammar.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.

This porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold...

and everyone knows the last line is.....

This porridge is ju-ust right!

The classic folk and fairy tales are part of our culture. Parents tell the stories or read the stories at bedtime so every child learns the basics of our literary heritage.

Mother Goose rhymes are an integral part of our literary history.

If you've forgotten some of these classic stories and poems, we have added a children's literature collection to our library for the Literature class in the Early Childhood Education program.