..STCC Library 'blog..

2010-02-08T16:01:00.003-05:00

It's in the United States constitution. Every ten years, the entire population of the United States MUST be counted.

On April 1st, 2010 (and, no, this is NOT an April Fool's Joke), citizens AND non-citizens MUST complete and return their questionnaires. Please note...your information will NOT be shared with anyone!

Here are the rules for college students from the home page of the U. S. Census Bureau, which is part of the U. S. Department of Commerce.

Frequently Asked Questions
How are college/university students living on campus counted by the Census Bureau?
If you live in a dormitory, residence hall, sorority or fraternity house, you�ll receive a 2010 Census form in April or May 2010. No need to mail the form, simply complete it and turn it in to your school�s designated census form return site.

How are students living in off-campus housing counted by the Census Bureau?
A 2010 Census form will be delivered or mailed to your house or apartment in March 2010. All students living at the address are considered one household, so only one form should be completed that includes information about all the people living at that address. Return the form in the U.S. mail envelope provided.

How are students who live with parents or guardians counted by the Census Bureau?
If you commute to school and reside full-time at your parents� or guardians� household, you should be accounted for on your parents� or guardians� household form.

What if I am an international student or not a U.S. citizen? Do I participate in the 2010 Census?
Yes. Everyone in the United States must be counted. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and noncitizens.

Will the Census Bureau share my information with anyone?
No. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents� answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities. All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

By the way, the Census is looking for part time employees!

Helpful hint:
Keep an eye out for scams. The census is NOT collected online! Do NOT give your SSN or other official information to anyone....

2010-02-08T12:33:00.003-05:00

Welcome Diana!

We have a new part time reference librarian who joined the library's staff at the beginning of this semester. Diana joins the rest of the reference department, whose aim is to help you locate resources to meet your information and research needs. Come say hello!

2010-02-08T11:31:00.009-05:00

Black History Month Essay Contest

Want a chance to win $100, and learn a lot in the process? (You might also win $50 or 4 movie tickets.) Enter the essay contest that the Student Activities and Development Center is hosting for Black History Month! This year's question is "Why is Black History Month Important in Today's Society?", and should be answered in an essay of about 250-300 words. You can pick up an application (which is due by Tuesday, February 16th) in the Student Activities Office, in Building 17.

How to go about answering this question? You could start with a trip (either physical or virtual) to your friendly library. Here we have books, videos, articles and audio material related to African American history and African Americans in today's society, that will give you lots of food for thought. For guidance in finding these resources, look at our African American History Research Guide which describes some reference books and Web sites that might be useful. The library also has a database on African American history which you can access from campus or from off campus.

2010-02-05T12:48:00.002-05:00

According to CWMARS,
the top requested items throughout
Western MA as of today are:

The Help
by Katheryn Stockett

Julie & Julia- DVD

Worst Case: A Novel
by James Patterson

Game Change : Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
by John Heilemann

U is for Undertow
by Sue Grafton

2010-02-05T11:15:00.001-05:00

On this day in 1972:

Bob Douglas became the first black man elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. Douglas not only coached the New York Renaissance, an all-black team which won 88 consecutive games in 1933, he also owned the team.

2010-02-04T14:08:00.013-05:00

Five Wicked Awesome Massachusetts Books

Saturday, February 6th will mark 222 years since Massachusetts ratified the U.S. constitution, becoming the 6th state in the process. In honor of the Commonwealth, here are five great books set in the Bay State.

1. The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
This historical novel, which includes cameos by everyone from Babe Ruth to Calvin Coolidge, follows a Boston family during the years following World War I. This was a period rich with local and national importance - the novel features the influenza epidemic of 1918 and the Boston molasses spill, and culminates with the Boston police strike of 1919. Unlike some of his earlier work, including Mystic River, Lehane creates larger-than-life, likable (though flawed) characters. The Given Day is a magnificent story of a colorful era.

2. All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick McDonald
A memoir set in South Boston ("Southie) by someone who lived through one of the most divisive eras in the city's history - the 1974 Boston busing decision to integrate the public schools - and the subsequent boycotts and riots. Along the way, McDonald recounts his family's struggles to survive the poverty and violence of the Southie housing projects. By all accounts, this should be a terribly depressing book, but the pride that McDonald feels in his family, his neighborhood and his Irish heritage counterbalance the strife.

3. When A Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets by Timothy Black
Black chronicles the lives of the Rivera brothers, raised mostly in Springfield, and their struggles to stay in school, find employment, and steer clear of the law. He follows the Riveras for 18 years, becoming a mentor and confidant to the family, even going so far as to post bail when the youngest brother gets arrested for narcotics. Yes, this is a sociological study, and there are times when the prose turns academic, but by and large this is a very readable and engrossing tale.

4. Look Me In The Eye by John Elder Robison
Robison is the brother of Augusten Burroughs (Running With Scissors) so you can expect he led a rather unusual childhood. The memoir details his difficulties growing up in western Massachusetts, not just with a dysfunctional family, but his own problems with simple communication and social interaction with his schoolmates. He finds he has an aptitude for mechanical processes, starting out in his high school A/V department and eventually working as a guitar technician for the band Kiss. At age 40, a therapist friend tells him he exhibits classic symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome, a diagnosis that gives him an understanding of his past difficulties. This is a funny, poignant tale of adaptation in the face of adversity.

5. The Professional by Robert B. Parker
This probably isn't the best Spenser novel, but it might be the last. Parker died January 18th at the age of 77. In The Professional, we follow Spenser from his home in Boston to Springfield (Parker's birthplace), Chicopee, and the fictional town of Hartland ("a small town about 15 miles upriver" from Springfield) as he pursues a blackmailer. As always, the dialog is sharp and witty, and the cast of characters (Hawk, Susan Silverman, Pearl the Wonder Dog) are as familiar as a pair of your most comfortable slippers.

Of course, if the STCC Library doesn't have the book on the shelf, it can be requested from another library. Please ask for assistance if you need it.

2010-02-04T11:29:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to our very own lovely Library Assistant, Nicole Prokop!
Nicole landed a full time position (in the library) at The New England Institute of Art this past December. She packed her bags, stole our hearts and drove off into the big city!
Our loss, their gain!

2010-02-03T08:33:00.003-05:00

A is for Amazon. . .

The New York Times points us toward this fun little factoid about Google: If you type a single letter into the Google search box, you'll see a list of recommended search terms. So 26 web sites have Google's "top billing" - they're the first site that shows up on the list, one for each letter of the alphabet.

Here's the list, in case you're curious:

A - Amazon
B - Best Buy
C - Craigslist
D - Dictionary.com
E - ebay
F - Facebook
G - Gmail
H - Hotmail
I - IMDB
J - J.C. Penney
K - Kohl's
L - Lowe's
M - MySpace
N - Netflix
O - Office Depot
P - Pandora
Q - QVC
R - Realtor.com
S - Southwest Airlines
T - Target
U - U.S. Postal Service
V - Verizon
W - Walmart
X - Xbox 360
Y - Youtube
Z - Zillow

2010-02-02T15:37:00.008-05:00

A Special "je ne sais quoi"

Numerous foreign expressions abound in the English language. If you're ever unsure about a meaning, check out The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases. This resource can provide definitions for phrases such as "ipso facto", "carte du jour", and "und so weiter".

To access the dictionary, go to http://library.stcc.edu/ and under "Databases" at the left of the screen click on the "By Title" link. Select "Credo Reference" and then "Dictionaries". Next, under the "Language" heading click on The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases.

The title correctly reflects the resource. Have fun browsing!

2010-02-01T10:45:00.007-05:00

Magazine Mania!

The STCC library is selling off back issues of popular magazines at the "popular price" of 10 cents per issue, in order to make sure there's enough room on the shelves for our current holdings. (These back issues are from several years ago, many of them from 2005 to 2007.) If you come into the library you can stock up on reading matter such as past editions of Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Ebony, Latina or Vogue magazines. Here's your chance to own your very own copy of People Magazine from September 3, 2007, which describes the real life romance of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical Fame. If that's not your thing, you can get Parents magazines, or Vanity Fair from December 2007 with an interview with Julia Roberts and a special report on art. Take a look and see what else you find!

2010-01-28T14:15:00.013-05:00

A sampling of new books at the STCC Library:

If you're looking for reading matter for the long winter nights, come by and see some of the new books that we have received in the past few weeks or months. You're a history buff, interested in the Great Depression? (Maybe reading about the Depression will make our recession look good in comparison!) Take a look at Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression or The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and his Moral Conscience. You prefer comics books, but also want to learn some history? Well, we have A Cartoon History of the Modern World, which has been described as a "mixture of clever comics and devastatingly funny commentary". If you're more interested in science, we've just acquired Science: The Definitive Visual Guide, which BookPage Reviews said "presents the grand sweep of scientific discovery era by era". We've gotten new books on the environment, on societal problems, art, and quite a few new children's books. Come in and browse!

2010-01-26T14:33:00.002-05:00

Smile If You're a Dental Hygiene Student!

We've got something new for you in 2010. EBSCOHost's Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences database is a brand new title on our database list. With more than 160 titles (130+ full text) this is a great addition to our expanding selection of online tools.

This is a first. We've never had a dedicated dental resource, instead relying on PubMed, Wiley Interscience, and bits and pieces of other databases for our dental research.

If you need some help searching D&OHS, stop by the reference desk or Ask A Librarian online.

2010-01-25T08:42:00.003-05:00

Welcome Back! Or Welcome in the First Place!

It's good to see students on campus again. We hope your time off was restful and you're looking forward to a productive semester.

Returning students probably don't need to update their barcodes, but there's a slight chance you do. And if you've moved, got a new phone number or a new name, please let us know.

New students - please bring your student ID to the library for a barcode. It turns your ID into a library card, with all the privileges included therein. If you don't have a student ID, go to the Student Activities office in Bldg. 17 at your earliest convenience.

Once, again, welcome (back) and have a great semester!

2010-01-21T15:26:00.002-05:00

Every year, the American Library Association recognizes the best picture book and the best young adult book published the previous year. Here are the Award Winners!

The Caldecott Medal (for picture books) was awarded to Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and The Mouse, published in 2009.

Honor Books were

All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman,

Newbery Medal Winner for 2010

The 2010 Newbery Medal winner is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books.

HONOR BOOKS for 2010:

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose, published by Melanie Kroupa Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, published by Henry Holt and Company.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin,

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick, published by The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

This rollicking yarn, presented through the voice of 12-year-old Homer, uses humor and pluck to mitigate the horrors of the Civil War.

2010-01-14T13:18:00.005-05:00

Concerned for Haiti and the victims of the earthquake?

Here are some useful links from a variety of reliable sources about the earthquake relief effort in Haiti.

From the Boston Public Library

Partners in Health
according to local author Tracey Kidder, is on site at this moment. Though many wonderful organizations are trying to help, some have been devastated by this powerful earthquake. They are not fully able to help at this time. PIH is up and running.

WWLP has provided links for those looking for ways to help victims in Haiti.

Nicholas Kristoff (of the NY Times) has provided additional links.

Want to check to see if your charity is reliable? Try The Charity Navigator
to see where yours fits.

The image of the Haitian flag was provided by the Translation Services Company

2010-01-04T14:17:00.005-05:00

Internet Public Library + Librarian's Internet Index = ipl2

Librarians and searchers all over have used the Internet Public Library or the Librarian's Internet Index for years. These directories offer reviewed content organized by topic. It's a great way to find reliable hits on lots of topics.

This month, they combined to create ipl2. The "about" section of the new site reads "IPL2 is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment. "

In January 2010, the website "ipl2: information you can trust" was launched. ipl2 combines the collections of resources from the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians' Internet Index (LII) websites.

This same month, the Ask a Librarian link available from the Springfield City Library was removed from the SPCL website for lack of financial support.

2009-12-23T15:20:00.007-05:00

Library Hours...

The library is closed from 12/24/09 through 1/3/10, opening at 8 a.m. on 1/4/2010. From January 4th - January 22nd, weekday hours will be 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

WE WILL be closed on Monday, January 18, 2010, the day on which we commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.

Evening hours start on Monday, 1/25/2010. We start offering Saturday hours (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.) on 1/30/10.

Have a great holiday season.

2009-12-22T10:24:00.004-05:00

So Long, Farewell!

No, I'm not about to burst into singing from the Sound of Music, but saying goodbye to Adam Williams, one of our reference librarians. Adam's last day at the STCC library will be tomorrow, and after the new year he will start his new job at Wheelock College as Instruction and Reference Librarian. Adam has been an invaluable member of the reference team here, and will be sorely missed!

2009-12-18T10:11:00.001-05:00

UMASS Students 'flash rave' at the DuBois Library in Amherst

Somebody should get one started here!

2009-12-18T08:37:00.003-05:00

Have you tried Credo Reference, our online reference book collection?

If you haven't, see if you know the answers to this week's brainteaser....If you DON'T know the answers, try Credo! There are over 395 reference titles (dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.) with more than 3.2 million entries all interconnected by millions of links. To use this off campus, you need a library bar code, (On Campus | Off Campus) which you can get at the library's circulation desk.

Ask for Credo when you visit the library. There's lots of background information that will help any researcher get started.

2009-12-18T08:25:00.003-05:00

Ebrary and H1N1

Our friends at Ebrary have created this link to H1N1 information, for those of you who want more data on this influenza strain. As Ebrary subscribers, access to this information is free to STCC library bar code holders.

These items are NOT available through our catalog, unlike other Ebrary content.

2009-12-11T15:47:00.002-05:00

Geography of Recession:

This is from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://tinyurl.com/yj6ada7 . Look at your county over time (starting in 2007) to see unemployment figures.

2009-12-11T08:48:00.002-05:00

End-of-Semester Deadlines

Students - with the semester winding down, here are a few things to keep in mind before we break for a well-deserved rest.

If you need "just one more resource" for your final paper, don't forget our databases are available from home. Just go to our Databases by Title page, select "Off Campus" for whatever database you need, enter your barcode and last name, and you're in.

Need help citing your work? Go to the pdf versions of our popular MLA- and APA style handouts.

And please make sure all materials are returned by Friday, December 18th. Outstanding books, DVDs, and other material will result in your grades being withheld, and we really don't like to do that. Seriously.

2009-12-09T13:12:00.012-05:00

Ebrary (aka "The New Kid in Town") at work:

So, it's snowing (did you notice?) and you can't make it in to the library. But... you have to do research for a paper, and your professor has said that some of your information has to come from a book, (not an article, Web page, etc.) If you can't come in to the library, are you sunk? No, Ebrary to the rescue! As noted in this blog last week, the library now has a subscription to this collection of about 21,000 electronic books, available from any computer with Internet access anywhere in the world, as long as you have an up-to-date library bar code. (The Caribbean, anyone? Or maybe West Springfield?) So, if you need a book with literary criticm of John Milton's Paradise Lost, we've got that, to the relief of a student I talked to a little while ago. Need a work about Jane Austen? We've got that too. What about research on advertising, computer programming, history, nursing, careers, politics, etc., etc.? Guess what - we've got books about these subjects as well! So, today may be the perfect day to explore Ebrary from the comfort of home, even if its not the perfect day to drive through these mean streets!

2009-12-03T15:33:00.002-05:00

New Kid in Town!

This fall, we bought a subscription to Ebrary - a collection of 21,000+ books online. They are generally academic in nature, and were, for the most part, published between 2000-2008.

Patrons with STCC Library ID cards can access them through the databases by title link under E, or the databases by topic under General. These books can also be accessed in the library's C/W MARS catalog. In the catalog, item records for books to be accessed through Ebrary read: Click here to access this book online (STCC students, staff & faculty only). When off campus, patrons must use their STCC college library barcodes to read the books online,

It's a very easy site to use. If you want to see all the 21,000 records, go to the C/W MARS OPAC (that's the abbreviation for the library's online catalog) and enter the keyword ebrary.

Dean Debbie Bellucci of the School of Continuing Education split the cost of these books with us because they are potentially of great benefit to off campus students.