..STCC Library 'blog..

2009-11-05T12:54:00.002-05:00

DID YOU KNOW?????

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners' budget for the next fiscal year has been cut by 16 percent. Library advocates fear there will be more cuts down the road. The STCC Library is a member of the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System, an agency of the MBLC.

The STCC Library gets a number of valuable services at no or little charge from or through the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System. These include, but are not limited to: access to periodical databases, delivery of materials to and from the STCC Library, and classes and programs that help STCC library employees improve their job and professional skills.

Susan McAlister, president of the Massachusetts Library Association, provided the following figures on PUBLIC library use in Massachusetts at a rally supporting libraries in Massachusetts on November 4, 2009.

On a typical day Massachusetts libraries:

provide 278 programs for children and adults,
circulate 148,000 items
answer 13,900 reference questions
and host l83,484 visitors - 23,666 of whom use public Internet computers

Representative Mark Falzone, a Democrat from Saugus spoke at the rally, where he said:

"When they learn how to think, then they can go out and make millions of dollars in those private companies that we are funding up here."

He said that 118 (out of 160) House members signed letters to the House speaker and to Gov. Deval Patrick asking to restore library funding that was cut on July 16. He said the push to preserve libraries has received great bipartisan support. "That's a great first step but we aren't going to stop there. We are going to keep fighting," said Falzone. "This is crucial funding."

Library posters have said for years: "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries."

2009-11-03T11:29:00.004-05:00

How to Say It: Grantwriting...Write Proposals that Grantmakers WANT to Fund.

Thanks to Deborah Koch, STCC's Director of Grants, the library has its very own copy! Why? It seems our Ms. Koch is the author of this 2009 publication from Prentice Hall!

"How To Say It: Grantwriting promises to be an essential resource to grant seekers." says
Sally S. Tremaine, Director, Academic and Government Grants, Quinnipiac University

Koch "is aware of the importance of using language well," says Benjamin R. Shute, Jr., the Program Director of Democratic Practice and Corporate Secretary Emeritus of Rockefeller Brothers' Fund.

"This is the most helpful and logical guide on grantwriting that I have seen in my long career of doing biomedical research." Says Ronald Newbower, PhD, co-founder and CTO of the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT) and former Senior Vice President for Research at Massachusetts General Hospital.

THANK YOU, DEBORAH! We will be cataloging this shortly.

2009-10-30T12:58:00.002-04:00

HALLOWEEN!

Credo Reference includes Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary,
which says (in part)

That Halloween was originally celebrated as a harvest festival. The Celts (pronounced KELTS) thought that this festival (SAMHAIN) was a time when the spirits of the dead roamed the earth.
Witches, goblins, black cats, and ghosts were said to roam abroad.

Irish settlers brought many of their traditional Halloween customs, such as bobbing for apples and lighting jack-o�-lanterns�to America in the 1840s.

Treats are exchanged for "safety," and the cry of "Trick or treat"warns us that, with no treat forthcoming, costumed children might play a prank!

Some people enjoy being scared. Here is a list of some of the scary links and places people go during the Halloween season.

Visit:

West Springfield:

Western Massachusetts: Halloween Activities in Western Mass

Spookyworld

Online try:

HauntedHouse.com

Haunted America Tours

Scary New England

2009-10-28T13:07:00.007-04:00

Recession Proofing Your Career

The STCC Extended Orientation Program, in coordination with the Student Mentor Program, is hosting a fair entitled "Recession Proofing Your Career" on Wednesday, November 4. The fair will be held in Building 2 on the 7th Floor during the College Hour (12:15 PM to 1:20 PM), and is designed to encourage students to learn more about career opportunities. A number of departments will be staffing informational tables. The library will have a table, and will display books and other materials on specific careers and on the job search process. The library will also promote its online Career Exploration Guide, which has information on library resources about careers and occupations, as well as resources providing advice about searching for a job. It contains a page of links to career Web sites, including sites related to diversity in employment. Stop by the fair next Wednesday and take a look!

2009-10-26T11:11:00.003-04:00

An A to Z of Web 2.0 Classroom Tools

From Jose Picardo's Technology and Education Box of Tricks, here's a comprehensive list of Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning. It includes the biggies, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google, but there are dozens of more obscure tools that might be useful in the classroom. Try the iPhone audio blogging site Audioboo, or Blabberize, an animation tool that makes people and animals in your photos appear as if they're talking.

(h/t Mark Milliron)

2009-10-22T11:49:00.006-04:00

Got a bright idea for your own business?

That's an important part of starting a small business, but it helps to learn a little bit about developing a business plan, marketing, finding start-up funding, etc. How can you learn about these things? Why, at the STCC library, of course, and from Web sites that the library has located for you in our business, entrepreneurship and marketing research guide. We have listed some of the books and other resources about business in general, business plans and entrepreneurship, that you can use to increase your familiarity with these topics. We have also compiled a list of electronic databases that can be used to find articles about business, as well as financial information about particular companies or industries. In addition, much valuable information is available on the open Web, but you have to know where to find it. This research guide can help with that, as well, with links and descriptions to Web sites on small business, advertising and retailing, as well as sites where you can find local or national statistics that might be useful in your business planning.

2009-10-19T19:48:00.004-04:00

Have you heard of Nina Sankovich?

Visit her 'blog to see her project. She is reading and reviewing a book a day for an entire year! She started on her birthday, October 28th, 2008. By rights, I should have waited till next week to 'blog this, but I thought it was fascinating!

She's read The African Queen by C. S. Forester, The Last Essays of Elia, by Charles Lamb, Eurdora Welty's A Curtain of Green, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, and Jame's Lee Burke's Crusader's Cross. But why am I telling you this? Go to her website to see what else she's reading and to read her comments. Her site offers her rationale, her lists of authors, her genre lists, and, of course, her reviews! She has four boys at home, along with her husband, and still is able to get the books read and the reviews written. On October 28th (a week from this Wednesday), she'll be finished with her project.

Read what the New York Times said about Ms. Sankovich. She believes that ANYONE can read a book a week. Why not start now?

2009-10-16T15:40:00.001-04:00

Errors of Style

APA (American Psychological Association) recently published corrections to the much examined 6th edition to the APA Style Manual. Mary Lynn Skutley from the APA Style blog addresses the changes in a recent posting. Skutley also includes a number of links useful for students and other users of the APA Style. In short, most of the errors in the APA Style Manual occurred in the sample papers, along with typos and clarifications. You can access the pdf of the corrections at http://supp.apa.org/style/pubman-reprint-corrections-for-2e.pdf. If you have any doubt about the APA formatting of your paper, feel free to contact the Reference Desk at 413-755-4549 or stop by during regular hours.

2009-10-15T09:00:00.002-04:00

October is Cyber Safety Awareness Month

President Obama declared October Cyber Safety Awareness Month.

According to a report on National Public Radio, home users are most endangered. As cyber criminals get more sophisticated, they perpetrate more and more convincing scams.
Cyber criminals typically go after home computers, which are usually not as well protected as corporate computers are. The most recent study by AOL and the nonprofit National Cyber Safety Alliance found that four out of five home PCs lacked at least one of three critical protections: updated anti-virus software, spyware protection, or a working firewall which blocks certain communications.

Check out the information at Every Click Matters to learn about how one in four computer users may have their information at risk! Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report indicates an online crime (such as a virus, keystroke logger, bot, or phishing attack) occurs 4 times a second!

Do your homework! Be aware of scams, and celebrate National Cyber Awareness Month by keeping your computer safe.

2009-10-14T14:41:00.002-04:00

Save The Library (or #savethelibrary)

A heartfelt plea from McSweeneys.

Contrary to popular belief, the job of a librarian has absolutely nothing to do with books; the job of a librarian is to help people find information, and information comes in several different forms. It could be a student writing a term paper needing to know how to find information on the term Volkerwanderung, or who simply wants to find the name of the latest Grisham�but more than likely, at least in recent years, it's the unemployed worker needing information on how to write a r�sum� or find a job.

...

It's not uncommon to see every computer (over sixty) taken at my branch, and only one person to help everyone�on top of this there's usually a line several people deep of people who need non-computer help; obviously you cannot give people the help they deserve with this ratio. If you've been to a library lately, then you probably recognize this as a common tale.
If you don't believe me, then visit your local library and ask staff how the branch has been affected; I imagine they'll have a lot to tell you.

2009-10-09T14:30:00.001-04:00

And the Nobel Peace Prize Goes to.....

This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to Barack Obama. Can you name any past prize winners? The STCC Library offers a variety of resources about the Nobel prize as well as the recipients. For instance, Champions of Peace by Tony Gray examines Alfred Nobel and the making of the Peace Prize (Call # JX1962.A2G7). In addition to books, you can uncover biographical information on particular Peace Prize recipients by accessing our databases, such as Biography Resource Center (On Campus Off Campus). Simply type in the name of the person who you are looking for in the search box. Biography Resource Center provides a wealth of information on notable figures from around the world as well as Nobel Laureates.

The Nobel Prize website also offers information on the Nobel Foundations various awards including the Peace Prize. The website lists the profiles of each recipient which includes press releases, acceptance speeches, and other speeches from the Foundation. For a chronological list of all the Peace Prize recipients go to Peace Prize Laureates page.

2009-10-08T12:50:00.006-04:00

Library creates guide to resources on John Brown

On Saturday, October 17, 2009 Springfield Technical Community College will host a symposium called "The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon: John Brown and the Coming of the Civil War", in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry. The library has created a guide to highlight resources available from the STCC library and from the Web that can help if you want to learn more about John Brown and his times. The guide gives information about books, articles (from reference books and databases), and Web sites that provide information about John Brown, as well as about other abolitionists. For example the library has the book John Brown, Abolitionist: The man who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights, by David S. Reynolds. This is the same David Reynolds who will be the keynote speaker at the October 17 symposium!

2009-10-07T21:12:00.000-04:00

H1n1 Flu Update:

Looking for a Flu Clinic? http://flu.masspro.org/clinic/ is a flu locator web site that lists public flu clinics in Massachusetts. Currently, the clinics listed are providing season flu immunizations and some clinics are offering pneumococcal (�pneumonia�) immunizations. The site also has links to the most current information on both seasonal and H1N1 vaccines from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the CDC. When it becomes available, the site will list public clinics that provide H1N1 swine flu immunizations.

2009-10-07T12:55:00.006-04:00

Learn about the Law

A new research guide has just been added to the STCC library's collection of guides. This legal research guide includes information on finding legal materials on the Web and by using STCC library resources. There are tabs for locating different types of resources (such as cases and statutes) and tabs that describe resources in different areas of the law. There are pages with information on books and Web sites on bankruptcy, criminal law, housing law for homeowners or renters, and different aspects of family law.

2009-10-05T15:43:00.003-04:00

October is Information Literacy Month

On October 1st, President Barak H. Obama proclaimed October National Information Literacy month.

He said, "Every day, we are inundated with vast amounts of information. A 24-hour news cycle and thousands of global television and radio networks, coupled with an immense array of online resources, have challenged our long-held perceptions of information management. Rather than merely possessing data, we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any situation."

His definition is pretty good. I'd add that Information Literacy includes the skill to recognize an information need, and the ability to use that information ethically! The president went on to say that "We now live in a world where anyone can publish an opinion or perspective, whether true or not, and have that opinion amplified within the information marketplace."

Information literacy is absolutely imperative for an informed citizenry. If you think some of the bloviators on television, radio or online want YOU to be information literate, think again!

2009-10-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Need Guidance but the Library is Closed?

The Library can not stay open 24/7 but many of our services remain available after hours. With a STCC Library bar code you can access many Library resources via the web. The most commonly used resources are the databases and the online catalog. Both resources are great when you have a topic in mind. Databases allow users to access subject specific articles and the online catalog allows you to find particular items in the Library collection. However, if you need a broader guide or just a place to start the STCC Library offers web based, research guides. The Library uses the Libguide system to construct web pages that organize resources and provide research tips to the variety of tools at the Library, including valuable websites.

We tailor each Libguide to a specific course or topic. For instance, the Library's English 100 guide aids students in Composition classes formulate and research topics for assignments. Other guides are focused on a particular topic such as Advertising, World War I or Our Plural History. Each guide displays Tabs at the top of the page to distinguish between the resources; Books, Databases, Citation, Websites, etc. Feel free to peruse our guides by going to the Research Guides link on the STCC Library homepage. If you have any question feel free to call us at 413-755-4549 or stop by the reference desk.

2009-09-30T10:43:00.003-04:00

Banned Books Week (9/26 - 10/3)

Do YOU read banned books? Have you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Have you read Heather Has Two Mommies? Have you read Go Ask Alice? Each September, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Sponsored and supported by many organizations, including the American Library Association, to which the STCC Library belongs, libraries across the U. S. observe Banned Books Week during the last week of September. Having an informed and educated population makes a democracy work. Free and open access to information is critical! Banned Books Week encourages our nation to consider and reflect on the harms of censorship. The STCC Library has a display that recognizes the actual or attempted challenges to books throughout the U. S.

Intellectual freedom, including accessing and expressing concepts that might be outside the mainstream or that many consider unpopular recognizes that everyone has voice. Opinions and ideas that may even be repugnant must be included so that educated individuals can consider, accept or discard these ideas.

As a librarian, I know that fear is not the way to support discussion. Many librarians, booksellers, teachers and community members, such as library boards of trustees worked to make sure that challenged books remained in communities. Without their actions, dozens if not scores of materials might be removed from libraries, bookstores and schools.

Banned Books Week is a teachable moment, one where we learn how First Amendment Rights support an informed and intellectually vital citizenry. The American Library Association asks us to consider how many books would be challenged or restrained if nobody taught the importance of First Amendment rights, as the individuals making up the groups noted below do.

The American Library Association's website provided the following information:
Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

Support Banned Books Week. Read Banned Books!

2009-09-30T09:40:00.009-04:00

Banned Books Week at the STCC library

Come on in to take a look at our display for Banned Books Week. The display case is covered with yellow barricade tape warning: "Caution - Do not enter" with a sign letting people know that "this display features books some people consider "dangerous". We have highlighted books in our library that have been challenged or removed from libraries across the country, including in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York State. The books include Catch-22, Beloved, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Kite Runner. Remember that the books on display are available for checkout!

2009-09-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

What are Your Career Prospects?

Whether you are starting on a new path or changing directions, knowing the prospects of a field helps you plan for your future career. For up to date information on trends and future viability of various job sectors, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) offers comprehensive information. In particular, the BLS publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook every 2 years, online and in print. The Handbook assesses the future of most professions based on job growth, nature of the work, economic trends and more. The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) includes a browsable list along the left margin and a search box to the OOH half way down the page. Of note, the OOH includes links to economic sectors such as "Sales," "Farming" or "Production." If you know what you are looking for you can type in your term in the search box. For example, try a search for "Dental Assistants" or "Dental Hygienist." The OOH lists the average earnings, nature of the work, requirements of the job and much more for each career. Also check out the "Tomorrow's Jobs" link for an overview of factors that will effect the future job market.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook's print version can be found at the STCC Library. The book is located on the reference shelves at call number: HF 5382 O2 2008/09. The Library also has additional resources on careers. Feel free to stop in and ask one of the Reference Librarians for more information or for help tracking down the OOH.

2009-09-24T10:12:00.005-04:00

America's Best Idea

This Sunday marks the debut of a new PBS series by Ken Burns, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." In conjunction with the series, National Parks and sites across the country are participating in a day-long celebration on Saturday. The Springfield Armory National Historic Site (which shares the grounds with STCC) will offer a presentation on the 391 National Historic Sites in the U.S. and allow visitors to choose from a collection of films about various National Parks, including Cape Cod National Seashore, Augustus Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, and Civil War battlefields.

The event runs from 9:30 to 4:30 and the best part is, it's absolutely free.

More information about the event from Masslive.com can be found here.

Update: We've ordered the companion volume to the series. Look for it in the collection soon.

2009-09-23T15:03:00.004-04:00

Learning about Healthy Lifestyles at your Library

Today the Student Mentor Program presented the first annual STCC health and wellness fair, called "Students and Staff Stay Healthy at STCC".
The fair was in Building 2's gym, and the library participated with a table displaying library materials on health, geared for the general public. If you missed the fair, not to worry - we have put together a guide to some of the health resources available at the library, as well useful Web Sites with reliable health information. This Health and Wellness Resource Guide is available as a link from the library's page of Research Guides, or at the Web address http://libguides.stcc.edu/healthresources

2009-09-22T16:03:00.002-04:00

OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB

Maybe we've blogged this before, but did you know that every time Oprah recommends a book to her book club, libraries across the nation get free copies? The STCC library usually gets at least two copies of every book she recommends. In 1996, Oprah's Book Club partnered with the American Library Association (ALA) to distribute thousands of free Book Club selections, donated by the publisher, to school, public and community college libraries nationwide.

The latest is Say You're One of Them by Ewen Akpan Oprah's site provides lots of book club tools for anyone reading the books she's selected. We got The Story of Edgar Sawtelle when that was added to Oprah's shelf of titles.

2009-09-17T16:02:00.003-04:00

The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon

is the title of the upcoming symposium on John Brown (who raided Harper's Ferry, West Virginia) just before the Civil War. Brown lived in Springfield from 1847-1851 before embarking on his quest for abolition.

Springfield Technical Community College is hosting this symposium on Saturday, October 17th, 2009. It commemorates the 150th anniversary of John Brown's Raid.

Keynote speaker will be David S. Reynolds, author of John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights.

The conference is free, and open to the public. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the conference begins at 9 a.m. in Scibelli Hall (building 2) on the campus grounds.

Contact Professor John F. Gately at Gately@stcc.edu for more information.

2009-09-16T15:03:00.002-04:00

Campus Wellness Fair

"Students and Staff Stay Healthy at STCC" is coming to campus next week.
All the health and wellness services that are offered to the students and campus community here will be represented at this fair. The library will be displaying some materials, and hosting a table for the public to visit.
Event Details: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 during the college hour
(12:15 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.) in Building 2 - Gym

2009-09-14T15:30:00.000-04:00

Same Great Resource, Brand New Interface

If you recently used STCC Library's online resources you may have noticed a change. Gale, the providers of Expanded Academic ASAP, General Onefile, Health Reference Center, etc., changed the interface of their academic databases. Gale's new format now includes a tabbed section, below the search box, that displays recent articles on hot topics and current events. For instance, in General Onefile, the tabs currently include articles on, "Global Warming," "Michael Jackson" and the "Economy." Clicking on each tab displays recent articles from the database, on each topic. The new interface also includes a section on "What's New" to the online resource and lists recently added articles to the database. The left side bar includes a description of the online resource and a featured publication. The various methods of searching for articles remain at the top, "Advanced Search," "Browse Subject," etc.

You can check out the recent changes by going to the Database resources on the STCC Library homepage. Browse for the online resources above either by Subject or Title. Don't forget, to access the resources from home you need to have an updated Library bar code. Stop by the front desk to update your bar code, the process only takes a few minutes. If you have any questions about the Library's online resources, feel free to call us at 413-755-4549. Enjoy the new changes!