Technology Is Fine, But What About Books for the Summer?

Ah yes. Nothing to enrich the mind as reading a good, literary novel. In fact, just behind the main desk are shelves of suggested works of fiction you just may enjoy. Granted, we're closed until June 11-- but do take a look when we're open again.

In the meantime--want a sample of especially what are the "greats"? Well, everyone has an opinion--but renowned literary critic Larry McCaffery, happens to have a list that he calls The 20th Century Greatest Hits: 100 English- Language Books of Fiction. Take a look--then go to a public library to check one of these out. Happy readings!

Make This Summer a Technology Summer!

Students, faculty, staff, and yes, even librarians-- We are supposedly in a Web 2.0 world now, and we probably are not even totally aware as of yet what that means for our teaching and learning.

But in this world where we can simply "type in a box" the opportunities to improve our learning and teaching are here. There's so much to share. So below is a laundry list of what tools are out there, and as the summer and fall progress--some of these tools will be discussed in detail. We've discussed Picnik, already.

For Instructors Who Teach DE or Are Curious About DE
Top 10 Things to Do This Summer

Introductory YouTube Videos to Web 2.0 Technologies
What is all this?
Web 2.0: The Machine is Us/ing Us
RSS in Plain English
Are You Blogging This?

Create Your Own Web 2.0 Site
Host your forum, invite participation
Blogger
PBwiki

Present What You've Found On the Web
Trailfire

Sharing Photos, Editing Them, Tagging Them
. . . and Turn Them Into Discussion Forums (Team Projects, Instructors and Students)
Flickr
Picnik

Sharing Videos
Submit your closed captioned video or also include a transcript, when teaching
YouTube

Sharing Your Bookmarks
View your favorite sites from any computer and learn new ones from your new found online friends.
Del.icio.us
Stumble Upon
Blackboard scholar (not currently available at Chabot or Las Positas)

Sharing Attachments
Without clogging Email boxes
YouSendIt

Make It Come To You: RSS Feeds
Really Simple Syndication
What is RSS?
RSS Readers
How to Create an RSS 2.0 Feed
Bloglines

Send URL's People Can Easily Copy on Paper
TinyURL it
TinyURL

Share Your Word Processing Documents and Spreadsheets
Teams work together from one file. Instructors, provide feedback to revisions
Google Documents

Roll Out Your Own Search Engines
Create subject-oriented search engines that only retrieve the reliable sites you know
Google Custom Search Engine

Find More Music You Like and Share It
Turn your favorite song into a radio station for similar songs, or share what you're listening on ITunes
Pandora Radio
ILike

Social Networks
Librarians using web 2.0 technology use Ning and Facebook
Ning
Facebook

Tag . . . You're It!
Find what you've created, easily. Enter text or search a file to see what keywords will make your photo, web page more easily found.
TagCrowd


Want more insight? Podcasts, PowerPoints and links to tools are available at http://ic.arc.losrios.edu/~ccli/Much thanks goes to the presenters of this year's California Clearinghouse of Library Instruction workshop--librarians and educators David Silver, Anne-Marie Dietering, and Michele Mizejewski. Thanks also to Eileen O'Shea from InfoPeople for the wonderful workshop she gave to California community college librarians back in April.

And in the meantime, share your experiences with these tools. Hit the Comments link--how can these tools enhance your learning or teaching? Part of Web 2.0 is sharing what we have found and learned.

The Computer Lab and the WRAC Center: The Transition Begins

If you are wondering what is going on at the mezzanine--the computer lab is still open--it is now available in the center of the mezzanine near the Audio Visual Center. If you see signs that say closed off, the Computer Lab is not closed--It is open today from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. , tomorrow 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it will be there open during regular Library hours, as always (June 11 to August 2-- 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.).

The WRAC Center will move to the Mezzanine of the Library in the coming weeks as the College begins its major renovations as provided by the Facilities Bond that was passed back in 2004. It will be situated on the left side--the computer Lab will be in the center--and the Audio Visual Center will continue to provide services to the right.

Whenever we are open, there will still be computers available on the mezzanine for writing, spreadsheets, Blackboard course work, web browsing, Email, online communities--this will not change. The ten computers around the reference desk will also continue to be available for library research purposes, with a librarian near by who can assist you in finding relevant, quality information from our databases and the Web (and do not forget our own Google Search Engine--it's there on the right menu of this blog. If you do not see it, hit reload. It will show up!)

Please let us know if you have any questions. During this period of transition, keep in mind that for you as a student, you will be able to get assistance on how to improve writing your papers from the staff of the WRAC Center, and just downstairs you can get assistance on how to improve your research for those same papers and projects, from a librarian. Not too bad, huh?

Open Reference Thread

Do you have a research question related to your assignment? Have a question about the Library and its services? Ask them here and we'll be more than happy to help you. Click on the "Comments" link below this post, type in your question, and click on the Publish button below. Responses take at least 24 hours. If you want to ask us more privately, contact information is available at Contact Us.

Amnesty Days In the Library

STUDENTS: Have you been holding onto overdue library books to avoid paying the fines? We've got a deal for you!!

All students that return their overdue library books the week of finals, from Monday, May 21 through Friday, May 25, 2007, will get their records cleared without paying any fines.

This offer EXCLUDES Reserve materials.

Summer Hours

After May 25, the Library will be open:

June 11 to August 2nd
Mondays through Thursdays
9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

We will be closed on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesday, July 4.

Please make a note on your calendar. Do remember that our website and our databases are available 24/7.

On the New Books Shelf This Week

On most weeks during the semester, we like to feature the latest books we have received. They are located on the "New Books" shelves, in stands you'll find just left of the main desk. Here's what's new this week.

Peddie, Ian. The Resisting Muse: Popular Music and Social Protest
Currently on New Books Shelf.
ML 3918 .P67 R47 2006
"Popular music has traditionally served as a rallying point for voices of opposition across a variety of genres. This volume examines the various ways popular music has been deployed as anti-establishment and how such opposition both influences and responds to the music produced."

Other New Books

Moore, Robin D. Music & Revolution: Cultural Change in Socialist Cuba
Currently on New Books Shelf.
ML 3917.C9 M66 2006



van Wormer, Katherine Stuart and Clemens Bartollas. Women and the Criminal Justice System
Currently on New Books Shelf.
HV 9950 .V38 2007


Herbert, W.N. and Matthew Hollis. Strong Words: Modern Poets on Modern Poetry
Currently on New Books Shelf.
PN 1064.S85 2000

Harris, Mary B. School Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Youth: The Invisible Minority
Currently on New Books Shelf.
LC 2575.S36 1997

Simon, Michele. Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back
Currently on New Books Shelf.
TX 360.U6 S56 2006


More books listed in Part 2

On the New Books Shelf Part 2

This continues Part 1 of our New Books Shelf Announcement for the week of May 14.

Waltman, Jerold L. The Case for the Living Wage
Currently on New Books Shelf.
HD 4918.W264 2004



Koff, Clea. The Bone Woman: A Forensic Anthropologist's Search for Truth in the Mass Graves of Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo
Currently on New Books Shelf.
GN 69.8 .K64 2005


Tuominen, Mary C. We Are Not Babysitters: Family Child Care Providers Redefine Work and Care
Currently on New Books Shelf.
HQ 778.5 .T86 2003


Dionne, E.J. Jr., Jean Bethke Elshtain, and Kayla M. Drogosz. One Electorate Under God?: A Dialogue on Religion & American Politics
Currently on New Books Shelf.
BL 2525.O53 2004


Want to find reviews of these books? Go search in Book Reviews Databases

Books are ordinarily available for two weeks checkout, but as it is the end of the semester, we ask that you return the book on Friday, May 25. These same books will also be available in the stacks, when we re-open on Monday, June 11.

Hungry to Resize That Image? Go on a Picnik!

At the reference desk, we often get a question from one of you who have found that perfect image for your project--but want to resize it. And often, many computers on campus do not have a photo editor like Photoshop. Well, where have you been? It's a Web 2.0 universe now and you should expect to find a site you just go in and visit, register if you want to save your work, to do what you want-- right?

Well, there is a new site--currently in beta mode but in this site you are able to do simple photo and image editing functions. It's called Picnik. Go to http://www.picnik.com/app, upload the image you have found--and you can rotate, crop, resize, modify colors, sharpen, reduce red eye-- in other words, be able to do what you most often want to do with your photos and images. You can set up an account to save your photos and images and variations as well. And there's a tab where you can easily get your photos that you have saved on Flickr.

The Library would like to remind you--however, to keep in mind copyright restrictions when planning to use images. They're fine for projects you present for class--but for websites, if they're not clipart, check for permissions and ask the site owner from where you got it.

Again, enjoy your picnik: http://www.picnik.com/app . This is one where you certainly will not get ants (unless it's a picture of them you want to resize). And at home, if you think you'll use it often, check out Picnik tools at: http://www.picnik.com/info/tools

We Now Have a Browsing Magazines Section

Did you know that Chabot Library now has a browsing magazines section? The most recent issue of select magazines are now available in the center of the Library, on a rack, right in front of our Pamphlet cabinets. They are to be enjoyed the same as a reference book, in-house only.

As always, print journals and older magazines are available for a 7 day checkout period. Come to the right side of the main desk (the Check Out) side to look at and/or check out the issue you need.

ATTENTION ALL FACULTY!!

As you clean up your offices in anticipation of summer break, please take a few minutes to look around for any overdue or long lost library books or AV materials. We would like to start the semester with full shelves for you and your students.

Thank you...

Welcome to the Chabot Library Read!

Good weekend! This is the first posting of the blog of the Chabot College Library.

We have big news coming up with changes to our web site!

The databases page will soon have a new look! We are splitting up our long list of databases to different pages so that you can select and choose your database quicker. To get a preview go to the New Databases Web Page

Also new, the Library now has a quality Google search engine to public world wide web sites selected by Chabot Librarians. When you have finished searching for books and articles, search the new search engine to find quality information on the public World Wide Web. Clicking on journals will lead you to free, peer-reviewed articles. To get to the search engine, start at the home page and click on Online Search Engines . The search engine is there on the top right. Enter your search terms and click on "Search."


Two databases will soon have new looks that may begin appearing over the summer. Tutorials on the new Lexis-Nexis are already available. Click on the menu on the top right to engage in three tutorials on how to use the future product. Get a feel for the new search enhancements! Later in the summer, there will also be a new look for Literature Resource Center. When available, we will announce when both have the new looks!

Stay tuned for more changes and improvements including more online tutorials on how to use the Library and search particular databases.

If you have any questions--as always you can contact a librarian on the left side of the main desk of the reference room, by phone at (510)723-7006, and by Email. We wish everyone a good final two weeks of the semester!