Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Rolling over

Latest news from GALILEO (10:02am):

The EBSCOhost 2.0 switchover is in process.

EBSCO has reported to us that during the initial deployment today, EBSCOhost personal folders will not be available. They have also reported that some slowness with searching may occur. Both problems should resolve when the deployment completes later this afternoon.

Again, if you encounter any problems with the new EBSCOhost 2.0 interfaces, please report them to GALILEO using the Contact Us form.




-kls

Not yet

Ebsco sent an announcement through GALILEO that they would release the new Ebsco on July 16. I checked at 8:15 am through GALILEO and - nope - not yet. One may select the New Features link to experience the revised Ebsco right now.

Soon.

It will be released soon.

-kls

Plink, plink, plink

Early morning is the best time to pick blueberries, said the city girl. I just returned from picking a basket of Georgia blueberries. While I was picking I thought of Robert McCloskey's "Blueberries for Sal". Using GALILEO I looked at NoveList K-8 for extenders, ties ins and reviews.

NoveList K-8 has a slightly different look than NoveList. Both offer hints on what else to read, reviews, links to WorldCat so you can find the closest library that has the title. Yes, NMTC has the book for the Early Childhood literature classes to use!


-kls

Monday, July 14, 2008

Testing, testing

Something new this way comes.....
The next generation EBSCOhost user interface will become available to all customers in July 2008. Based upon results gathered from extensive user testing, EBSCOhost 2.0 offers a clean new look and feel, for a technologically sophisticated, yet familiar search experience, with the built-in flexibility to provide individual user customization options.


You may test Ebsco by going to GALILEO
-- select Ebsco from the Databases A-Z list
--- select the Ebsco database you'd like to use
---- click on New Features! (upper right hand side of the screen)

It does "look" better! Your Georgia Librarian will give you the current password to use GALILEO at home.

-kls

I'll drink to that

George Will noted in his Sunday column, Survival of the sudsiest: A toast to beer, The Ghost Map : the story of London's most terrifying epidemic and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world by Steven Johnson [RC 133 .G6 J64 2006]. Through GALILEO I looked in Book Index with Reviews. The review noted:
"An account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London--and an exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease in cities. In the summer of 1854, a devastating cholera outbreak seized London just as it was emerging as a modern city: more than 2 million people packed into a ten-mile circumference, a hub of travel and commerce, continually pushing the limits of infrastructure that's outdated as soon as it's updated. Author Johnson chronicles Snow's day-by-day efforts as he risked his own life to prove how the epidemic was being spread. When he created the map that traced the pattern of outbreak back to its source, Dr. Snow didn't just solve a pressing medical riddle--he established a precedent for the way modern city-dwellers, city planners, physicians, and public officials think about the spread of disease and the development of the modern urban environment.--From publisher description."--

You'll notice that World Cat has a link in BIR. It's easy to find the nearest library that has the title.

A mention in a column, a look in GALILEO and I think I'll read this book!


-kls

Sunday, July 13, 2008

What did they say?

Are you searching for information and you run across a web site in French or Spanish or another language? What do you do? Grab a dictionary with English/French or English/Spanish? Muddle through with your high school language skills? How do you figure out what it means?

I read two articles* today about Bastille Day (July 14th) and the new web site that lists those who lost their heads to the Guillotine, Les Guillotines de la Revolution francaise.

Both authors referred to Google : Language Tools. I went and tested the site- very interesting. This is a helpful tool if you find a site in another language- or if you want to share a site with someone whose first language is not English.

I can see a teacher using the Language Tool in a conference with a student who just may not be very clear about what the English words mean. The tool might be helpful for a student (or anyone) who wants to hone their understanding of a language other than the one they use at home. For travelers this might be an easy tool to get hints about what that sign means.

Through GALILEO, ProQuest offers translators for the directions in their database. Once an article is selected, ProQuest also offers a Translate document box. See if you can understand what the author is trying to say when you read the article in another language.

To use GALILEO at home you will need the password which you may get from your Georgia librarian.



*articles:
  • Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter : Guillotine Victims Listed Online

  • Genealogy / Kenneth H. Thomas Jr : Web site lists guillotine victims, AJC , Sunday July 13, 2008, M3



  • -kls

    Thursday, July 10, 2008

    Another perspective

    Looking at life through the eyes of another, is one way to broaden horizons and get that bit of perspective that opens us up to really living. Mark Haddon won the Whitbread Award for his first novel, The curious incident of the dog in the night-time [PZ 7 .H1165 Cu 2004]:
    The Amazon.com review notes...Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.

    Our newest English Lit instructor highly recommended this title. I read it in one evening and have since recommended it to our Early Childhood instructors as they teach the classes for a Special Needs certificate. The story draws you in and illustrates how life looks from inside the head of a Special Needs teenager.

    If you want a taste of the writers style - you may go to GALILEO and select NoveList- search for the title. There is link to the first chapter! A link to World Cat lists the libraries that have the book. Yes, NMTC is listed!

    Ask your Georgia librarian for the password to access GALILEO from home!

    -kls

    Monday, July 07, 2008

    The wings are flapping

    Summer Quarter begins on Wednesday, July 9. If you've taken online classes you're familiar with Blackboard, Web CT, and Course Compass. A new format has been added to the mix.

    Training for instructors began last week. For the student there may not be much change. The colors will be different but the folders, files, drop boxes, etc will feel quite familiar.
    ANGEL for GVTC Online Classes, is a Web-based course management and collaboration portal that enables educators to manage course materials and to communicate with students. ANGEL can function both as a complement to traditional courses and as a site for distance learning. With ANGEL, you can take surveys, quizzes, and tests; send and receive course mail; post messages to threaded discussions and chat rooms; upload assignments using online drop boxes; and more. You can check your progress and grades at any time during a course.

    I like the resources tabs. Right now Google and Wikipedia are listed. Soon GALILEO and the link for Resources related to your program of study and the NMTC Library catalog will be included to make it easier for students to find information to support their studies!

    We'll all be learning how to spread our wings this summer.

    -kls

    Thursday, July 03, 2008

    Election 2008 Resources

    Election Resources


    Hello. The 2008 Presidential Elections are fast approaching. Here in Georgia, we will vote in federal and state primaries on July 15th.
    You have probably been inundated with news about the elections on television and on the radio. Need we even mention the various ads on television, radio, and now even the web.
    Here are some resources related to the upcoming 2008 Elections:
    Okay, first are links to local county election boards and government sites. Also included is a link to the Elections Division of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State.
    Cobb County Board of Elections
    Bartow County Board of Elections
    Paulding County Government-Elections Section
    Cherokee County Elections and Registration
    Elections Division of the Georgia Secretary of State

    This next link is to a website/blog with really detailed information. It is called electoral-vote.com. This is a very well maintained website and is almost always updated daily. The key feature of this site is that the lead graphic is a map of the United States. Based on the most current polling data for each state, the particular state is shaded a degree of either red or blue. For instance, a dark blue state would mean that the state has currently polled very strong for Obama, and a dark red state would mean the opposite in favor of McCain. The colors of the states change as new polls for the state are reported. A running tally of electoral votes for each candidate is kept as new polls come in. Moving your mouse over a state you are interested in will give you even more detailed information. The website also keeps a close tab on US Senate races that are consider competitive. The website watches US House of Representative races that are competitive, though less attention is paid to these since there are so many to keep an eye on.
    Electoral-Vote.com

    Our next site is one that is of historical interest. This is a massive archive of results from previous Presidential elections. You may access results from these past elections in both graphical and statistical form. Results may be further broken down by state and in most cases even by county level. It should be noted that some information on this site requires a fee. Also, the author of this site reverses the red state/blue state color scheme by assigning blue to Republicans and red to Democrats.
    Dave's Presidential Election Atlas

    This site is a general political news site that is frequently updated. This site also provides polling data for Presidential, Gubernatorial (governor), and Congressional races. Interestingly, this site did a very clever NCAA bracket style mock tournament where users picked the Vice Presidents for both parties. The tournament featured head to head matchups of potential VPs over several weeks just like the NCAA’s. Users voting in the Republican bracket eventually picked former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as their choice for McCain’s VP and users participating in the Democratic side picked General Wesley Clark as their favorite for Obama’s VP choice.
    CQPolitics
    National Public Radio is public radio news service. However, they cover political stories and elections both on air and via their website. On the website you can find web articles about elections, and also listen to podcasts of related news segments.
    NPR

    This site is run by Larry Sabato, of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. However, the site is not updated as frequently as some others. Still has some good information though.
    Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball

    The following websites also explores political leanings and election predicitions. However, you have to pay for a good portion of the information.
    The Rothenberg Political Report
    the Cook Political Report


    JF

    Wednesday, July 02, 2008

    Are we there yet?

    Must be the season to look for relatives online. Dear Myrtle had "Kendall Hulet from Ancestry.com to discuss the New Ancestry.com Search options" on her podcast.
    Notice in the screen shot below, Ol' Myrt has only typed in the name William, but Ancestry's computers are already working hard by comparing this with other known men by the name of William on my family tree. In this example, I was planning to research William Gist Froman (A) but if I wished to work on a client's family, I could change the tree Ancestry will search by clicking the down arrow button at (B) below. The "Advanced" button Kendall explains during this interview is shown at (C) below. If I wish to save data entry time, I can merely click the William Gist From on the list, and his birth and death info will be inserted in the new Ancestry.com search screen automatically. This certainly speeds up research time. For more info about Ancestry's new search capabilities, take the tour.
    Georgia library users may access Ancestry.com at their Georgia public library. NMTC students may access Ancestry.com on campus!

    You may wonder why a college student would use Ancestry? Yes, they might be doing Family Research but that's not likely. I showed the Nursing students how they could look up famous nurses in the census and note siblings, parents, neighbors. They were intrigued! It also would be helpful in American History projects - to add a touch of primary sources to the bibliography.

    No need for the password to access Ancestry through GALILEO - it's only available at the library.

    -kls

    Tuesday, July 01, 2008

    Search tips

    Lots of folks need hints and tips on how to use a database (this is what librarians teach). Diane Haddad at the Genealogy Insider provides a few tips on searching the genealogy databases. I wonder if she's a librarian. She comments on Ancestry.com, which is available on campus through GALILEO
    • Use One-Step Search Tools, which offer more-flexible searching of several databases in Ancestry.com [available on campus only-kls], Footnote, EllisIsland.org and other sites (to view results from a fee-based site, you need a subscription to the site). For example, the One-Step tools might let you search on a name fragment, more year ranges, or more combinations of terms.
    NMTC students may get the current password via the Student E-mail login. All other Georgia residents may acquire the current GALILEO password from their Georgia librarian.

    -kls

    Now we are two!

    The View has gained another perspective. The second librarian hired by North Metro Tech will begin adding his two cents about what it looks like from our front desk. Stay tuned for his first entry.

    I'll bet you'll be able to tell us apart.

    -kls (we'll add our initials in case you can't differentiate our styles)

    Saturday, June 28, 2008

    Who has the book?

    Mentioned before- but very worthwhile is the World Cat public site. This site helps you find the nearest library that owns the book you'd like to read.

    Use your public library to test the worth of a book before you hit Amazon (not that I have anything against buying a book but when your library has it for you to borrow)- and they dust it and shelve it and.....well, I'm partial to using the library resources. If your library doesn't own the book you want to read - they can borrow it through Inter Library Loan!

    Now's the time to wander through your library and borrow the treasures your taxes have paid for!

    More suggestions

    Everyone (well, lots of folks) have suggestions on what to read during the "lazy, hazy days of summer" - even The Wall Street Journal

    Thanks to Sarah Hey at Stand Firm for pointing out the Wall Street Journal site.

    See, everyone does have suggestions on what to read!

    Friday, June 20, 2008

    Still judging

    Must be the start of summer- the numerous ways to judge a book are presenting themselves in a variety of locations. Just a bit ago I wrote about Zoomii and the ability to judge a book by its cover. Now, I've read useful hints and tips on judging a book from a conference participant who has had the chance to observe users selecting a book ....
    The most common method is to pick up the book, look at the spine and/or cover title, check the index for a specific item, and then check for the price. I’d like to share a strategy to approach a new title that will enable you to use it more effectively...

    Carolyn Barkley offers examples of why the initial approach may not work. She concludes her blog entry with
    A thorough examination of a new resource is essential to its effective and efficient use. Consult the title page; don’t rely solely on the information on the spine or cover. Look at the table of contents to understand the organization of the content. Thoroughly read the introduction and/or preface to gain an understanding of the scope of the book as well as find the tips the author may provide about how to best use the resource. Consider the index carefully to understand what is being indexed and how the index entries relate to the text. I guarantee you’ll be able to put the information in the source to much better use.

    I wonder if she's a librarian at heart?

    Judging a book

    A post on LM_NET suggested trying Zoomii. From the about section:

    Why Zoomii?

    "Because I love bookstores. Spending afternoons wandering the shelves. Happening across great books I didn't even know existed. But it's an experience I never found online. Online bookstores are wonderful. They've got amazing prices, huge selections, and they're open all the time. If you know exactly what you want, they're perfect. But somehow I kept coming back to the bookstore just to browse. Zoomii is my attempt to bring online as much of the real bookstore experience as possible.
    -Chris Thiessen"


    You have the option of a Canadian or an American version (look for the flag) - they tell you it works slowly with the new FireFox 3.0 but I didn't find any glitches. It is like browsing a book store with the covers in rows and shelf after shelf of titles. If you like browsing this might be the site for you!

    Thursday, June 19, 2008

    Look, look

    I'm catching up on reading the feeds of genealogy blogs. Yes, I enjoy the search, must be why I'm a librarian. Dick Eastman notes a graphical search engine that is in beta testing. It is pretty.

    I've added this to my list of 40 search engines. Though I admit, I fall back on Google for my default search strategy.

    Yes, "the search" is a large part of the fun.

    Friday, June 13, 2008

    Wild Thing

    I did add an iRead app to the Library MySpace. It's an easy way to share what I like and what I'm reading. After 17 years in the K-12 environment, I'm quite fond of Children's Literature. The brevity, the clarity, and the illustrations keep my attention.

    I'm going to add Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" to my list of books read!

    Which brings me to the Britannica Blog entry by Greg McNamee in honor of the 45th anniversary of the book, "Where the Wild Things Are" and the 80th birthday of the author, Maurice Sendak.

    Gnashing of teeth, rolling of eyes, but a warm meal upon arrival home. There's love for ya!

    Ten days

    Time flies when you're having fun.

    It has been ten days since I shared. What in the world have I been doing? There has been the end of fiscal year inventory of AV materials, the spending of end of year money, the cataloging of materials found in offices, moving computers and phones in preparation of the new Librarians arrival!

    And that's the best part of time flying.

    The second librarian will be joining NMTC on July 1st. He has aready expressed interest in talking about his "View from the Library".

    I'm looking forward to the pace of summer and the addition of another librarian!

    Tuesday, June 03, 2008

    Just the facts, Ma'am, just the facts

    Genealogy is my hobby. I look for "proof" of a relationship in wills, deeds, church records, cemeteries, and old newspapers. Germaine Greer has done a remarkable job in "proving" the relationship of Ann Hathaway and William Shakespeare in "Shakespeare's Wife" [PR 2906 G74 2007].

    From Ebscohost a review in Maclean's; 4/14/2008, Vol. 121 Issue 14, p80-80, 8/9p, 1c by Brian Bethune
    Greer, 69, who in her day job is an academic expert in early modern English literature, waded through a mountain of poetry, plays, local court records and Tudor history.

    That's what intrigued me - the noting of legitimate sources to prove the relationship. Genealogists use a "preponderance of evidence" from verifiable resources to tie people and places together. This is what Germaine Greer has done so well- used verifiable sources (and noted them) to show a better picture of Shakespeare's wife!