Book due date

All books that are checked out are due back this Friday, December 9th

Wolfram Alpha (and iPhone 4S!)

If you wanted an answer to a question the old model was: look it up in a book.
The newer model says: Google it.
An even newer model directs you to Wolfram Alpha, a computational knowledge engine.

What is the difference? A search engine such as Google or Bing scans web pages and returns links to those pages matching the search query. Wolfram Alpha returns answers from its “own internal knowledge base.” For example, say you want to know the route an airplane would travel between Chicago and Tokyo rather that what the airfare is between Chicago and Tokyo? If you are looking for facts like the five longest rivers or the population of Jordan, try WolframAlpha.

For more information try this demo of answers given by WolframAlpha. And if some of those answers seem familiar you must be iPhone 4S user. Your digital assistant, Siri, got some of her information from WolframAlpha.

Mobile App for Research

If you're like many students, mobile technology has become increasingly prevalent in your daily routine. And as a student, class research undoubtedly factors into your academic routine as well.

Smartphone users are in luck- Gale (one of our largest research database providers) has recently launched a mobile app for their databases called AccessMyLibrary, College Editon, available for Apple or Android phones and tablets! It provides a mobile interface for several of the Gale databases, arranged by subjects including literature, science, history and more.

First, you'll need to download it from the app store/market. When you initially open Access My Library, you will need to enter your Seminole State e-mail address only. A confirmation e-mail will be sent you with a password to use for logging in. Once you've received the e-mail, you can reopen the app and enter the password to gain access to the mobile databases.

Try it out and report back on how well it works- it might be the future of research...a library available everywhere!

Help Us- Take Our Library Survey!

We're promoting our library survey to collect feedback on what our users want and need, and to determine what we can do to improve the overall library experience. It's important to us to know what is working well and what can be expanded or altered to provide the best possible service.

Please take a few minutes to respond to the survey. There are several ways to access it: 1) Click the image above and to the left. 2) Click the survey link here. 3) From the library home page, you'll see the link on the top left corner of the screen.

If you would, please pass this along to your fellow students. Everyone's input is very much appreciated!

What are "scholarly journals"?

Your teachers will often ask you to use scholarly sources for your papers and projects. Many of the Library's databases consist entirely of scholarly articles, for instance, JSTOR, PsycArticles, and Medline. Nearly all the other databases have an option on the search screen to limit your search to all scholarly (all peer reviewed) results.

But what is it about a book or an article that makes it scholarly?"Scholarly research" boils down to a system for verifying facts and logic. It's a set of checks and balances to prevent errors, nonsense, and lies, from being passed off as good information. A scholarly researcher first learns the ideas and findings of others in the field. The researcher then develops a hypothesis and designs and implements a methodology to prove or disprove that hypothesis.

Scholarly also means "by scholars and intended to be read by other scholars." Popular sources have articles that are intended to be interesting and comprehensible for as many people as possible. They have to leave out some details and simplify others. Scholarly sources have more detailed, advanced, sophisticated information. And it's closer to the source, not translated for you by another non-expert.

In the peer review process, an article being considered for publication is inspected by two or more other subject area experts. They question whether the author did enough background research, used a solid methodology, collected data properly, and interpreted statistics accurately. They look for logic flaws, signs of bias or agenda, outdated or discredited information, and more. The article may be rejected; if it is accepted, the author must fix all the problems before it can be published.

New Nursing E-Book Collection!

The Seminole State Library today added a collection of 55 electronic nursing books to our library databases. When you log into the databases, look at the alphabetical listing and open the link titled Books@Ovid. The books range from study guides to basic overviews of select topics- ideal for nursing students reviewing material for practicals and exams! Remember, all e-books can be accessed from home, so take a look for yourself.

Texas Child Care now free online

Because of their budget cuts, the journal Texas Child Care Quarterly has become a stand-alone electronic journal. You may now read, downnload, print, and distribute all content for free at http://www.childcarequarterly.com/

Words for Research Papers

So you have a research paper due in 2 weeks, and you have no idea how you are going to find enough information to write 10 pages on your topic, what are you going to do?

One of the biggest hurdles students encounter when writing a research paper is locating adequate sources for their topics. Part of the difficulty is their "search" technique, actually many students will begin by searching, and then after their first search switch or morph to a browsing technique. The other difficulty is that students may not be familiar with the language that their topic experts use, creating a virtual language barrier right from the start. Here are a few tips to hopefully overcome these two difficulties and make your research efforts more productive.

Tip 1: Once you have chosen a topic brush up on the technical language dealing with the topic. Use a dictionary or thesaurus to locate unique terms that illustrate the essentials of your topic.

Tip 2: Ask your professor or librarian for ideas in refining your search terms.

Tip 3: When conducting your search, stick to it. Instead of switching to browsing mode (that is scrolling through page after page of some 2K results) refine your search terms. Use a thesaurus or dictionary to develop a search query that works. In the end searching with a good query is more effective than browsing.

Tip 4: When conducting a search in a database or federated search engine (i.e. Google Scholar) use the provided limiters (date, publication type, subject terms, thesaurus terms) to broaden, narrow or refine your search.

Lastly, remember, a little preparation goes a long way. Before you even begin searching online or in the library for materials you should create an outline with some good focused questions that you want to answer in your paper. Having these questions will aid you in choosing effective search terms and queries.

Need library help? Then Text Us!

That's absolutely true- now you can get library help by text messaging us! Our texting number is 386-320-3229. We do our best to staff the service whenever we're open, so please feel free to use it inside the library or from home. If we can't respond immediately, we will get back with you as soon as we can- promise!

Try it out for a test run. And let us know what you think of it!

Edgar Allen Poe

This being the scary month of October, what better time than now to celebrate the famous American literary figure Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849. Click here at Golden Age Comic Blog to read various interpretations of "The Raven",  illustrated by Will Elder, and  Richard Corben, famous comic artists,  as well as other illustrations from his works. Keep clicking "older posts' at the bottom right to see prior posts.

Two sides to every story

   There are [at least] two sides to every story, issues, topic. As you prepare for debates or when you are researching a topic, make sure to check out the database called Opposing Viewpoints for a wide variety of sources and ideas on over 5000 topics. 

  Easily searchable, simply type in your topic in the search box, or click on the word "Issues" in the navigation to bring up an alphabetical listing of topics. If you are unsure what to study, look to the Opposing Viewpoints in Context homepage for inspiration. It changes frequently and usually contains topics in the news broken down into categories such as: Business, Family Issues, Health, and Medicine.

As you explore this  resource you will see why it is a terrific place to start your research on social issues. It contains many useful resources including:

• Viewpoints: more than 9,000 pro and con positions on a wide array of topics.
•  Articles: the database contains over 2 million full-text articles from magazine, newspaper, and academic journals. You’re sure to find the most current information, since new articles are added daily.
• Statistics: there are nearly 6,000 statistical tables, charts and graphs on a wide variety of topics.
• Multimedia Resources: including audio, podcasts, and streaming video are incorporated to broaden the scope of subject matter and dynamically engage users
• Websites: experts have chosen over 2,300 subject-indexed outside Websites to assist in follow up study. Primary Source Documents, Maps, Reference Books, Curriculum Standards and more! 

Wikipedia Loves Libraries

Seemingly everyone knows that Wikipedia isn't much of a quality academic source...even Wikipedia! In an effort to increase their standing among scholars, Wikipedia has embarked on a new program named Wikipedia Loves Libraries that aims to get library staff and patrons involved in contributing "good" research to new and existing articles.

The program is in accordance with Open Access Week. Events are only being held at a handful of libraries around the United States and Canada, but perhaps others will join in next year. Any effort to improve the accuracy and credibility of Wikipedia is a step in the right direction.

Virtual Museum Tours via Google

Have you ever wanted to visit some of the most famous art museums in the world? It's fully appreciated that not everyone can take a vacation to Berlin or London, but Google has made these museums a bit more accessible through their Google Art Project! Using Google Maps technology, you can take a tour of fourteen different museums and view the individual works of art up close.



Take a look around if you don't plan on being in Madrid any time soon. It's very cool and a new tool to apply towards your art research.

Meet the world's most recent country: South Sudan

If you're doing any research on African countries, or on the development of nations, take note that as of July 9, 2011, South Sudan became the newest country to gain independence.

Check out the CIA World Factbook page for South Sudan for the official demographics and statistics on the country. This is an important note on the value of currency in research; books addressing its independence have not published yet, so be careful as you evaluate your sources from past years.

Term Papers

Having problems locating information for your term paper? Finding too much information? Don't even have a topic yet? Don't worry-the Librarians at Seminole State College are avialable to help! Just come in the library to get assistance. We will be happy to help you with any information needs you have.

You can also chat with us live via the chat box on the library home page.

 

Find a book by asking a question

MindTheBook.com connects questions with books, Like "Does God exist", "How do I become a good father?" which answers them. It also defines books with questions they answer well. Take a look...

Thanks to The Centered Librarian

AbeBooks "Long Live the Book"

AbeBooks.com reply to the "I hate reading" Facebook page

FYI: Facebook page "I hate reading"

Thanks to The Centered Librarian

Important new study-check out books, get good grades

In the new edition (July 2011) of College and Research Libraries, authors Wong and Webb uncover a mathematical correlation between student library material usage and cumulative GPA.
"Uncovering meaningful Correlation between Student Academic Performance and Library Material Usage"

In other words, book and multimedia loans are directly related to student academic performance. Note however the research did not electronic resources, such as databases.

Library Closed August 18th

The library will be closed on Thursday August 18th for a day of Staff Development

The Power of Twitter

Since there is not an official Twitter directory of all of our representatives in Congress, the folks at Fearless Revolution have made one for us. Click here for a link to your representatives and tips on the best ways to Tweet to them.

Prevent Your Own Plagiarism

Many instructors use TurnItIn.com to gauge the authenticity of students' work. It is a valuable service, but it is difficult to use if you'd like to check your own work ahead of time. We've had several requests for a service that will help ensure that your papers are plagiarism-free and cited correctly. Well, you're in luck- here are some suggestions to use for pre-screening your work before submitting it:

*Paper Rater: This site will check your spelling, grammar, and originality, entirely for free! Just be sure to choose the "Include" option in the Originality Detection box. It will also analyze your word choice and style, and offer vocabulary options. Neat tool!



*PlagiarismChecker.com: Very basic in comparison, this site does allow you to enter shorter phrases that are then searched in Google to find instances of plagiarism in your work.

*WriteCheck: If you want to be really sure that your paper won't turn up any surprise plagiarism flags in TurnItIn, then you may be willing to spend the $5 that this site charges to check your paper. The advantage here is that the site is run by TurnItIn, and it checks your writing against the same papers and websites that your instructor is using to verify your original work.



Give some of these a try! They're valuable tools that may give you a quick lesson on plagiarism and the value of citation- or at least they might provide more confidence before you hit the submit button. And these three will not store and resell your papers, an accusation given to some of the free plagiarism checkers on the Internet.

Faxing in the library

The library does not have fax machines available for the public to use, but there are apps available if you need to quickly fax something!

First, scan in your document. You can do this with the scanners located on the second floor of the library in the Computer Lab. If you need help, please do not hesitate to ask the Lab Assistant.

Once your documents are scanned, navigate to one of these web apps:

Hellofax is a web-based service that allows you to send faxes and fill out and sign documents from your Internet browser. New users are given five pages of faxing for free, and after that it costs $1.99 per fax (up to 10 pages, at $0.20/page after that). If you're a heavy duty faxer, you can also sign up for monthly plans which give you varying amounts of faxes each month.

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, there is FaxZero which will allow you to send a maximum of two free faxes of three pages each a day for free! There is a catch, though. FaxZero will append a cover page with an advertisement on each fax. A $1.99 per fax payment through PayPal, though, will remove the advertisement and grant you up to fifteen pages per fax.

Mobile-Friendly Blog

If you're like many of us at the library, our mobile phones and devices have become a common source of Internet access. A 2010 study from the Pew Research Center estimated that close to 40% of adults access the Internet via their cell phone, and that number grows each year.

Fortunately for those of us interested in the library, I can now report to you that this very blog is now completely mobile-friendly! It looks really great, too. So check it out next time you're poking around the Internet on your phone- and better yet, subscribe to our RSS feed while you're at it!

The library is a great place to read something besides your textbooks and research material. Sanford, Oviedo, and Altamonte campus libraries have areas set aside for browsing and borrowing "Leisure Books". Here you'll find the latest best sellers, romance and thriller books, topical non-fiction, "fun" reads, and some books recommended to us by students and college staff! We carry many of the New York Times bestsellers. These are very popular since you can generally get them quicker than at your public library.

Movie Clips for You to Use!

Ever wondered where to find copyright compliant movie clips to use for assignments and projects? This resource provides easy, legal access to film clips!

MOVIECLIPS.com provides free access to 12,000-plus film clips from over 2,000 films, legally licensed. The site provides browsing by actor, title, and genre as well as by concepts such as occasion, mood, and theme. Searching retrieves individual clips along with several selections grouped by the film in which they appear.

The Terms of Use allow the MOVIECLIPS player to be embedded in other sites for noncommercial purposes, when done in compliance with procedures listed on the site.

See for yourself - go to http://movieclips.com/

 

Are Books Obsolete?

Contrary to dire predictions that books (and reading) are dead, a recent report cited in a erecent  issue of the College & Research Libraries News' "Fast Facts" revealed that U.S. book sales in 2010 reached 751.7 million books, just under the record numbers achieved in 2008 (757 million) and 2009 (777 million). The latest available figure for the number of original book titles published in print was 289,729 different titles in the U.S. alone in 2008. That's good news indeed for readers, book buyers and libraries.

Here in the Seminole State College library, our share of book purchases focuses primarily on acquiring books related to academic curricular needs. Librarians regularly evaluate and update the book collection and purchase additional materials as needed to help students in their assignments.

If you have a specific title that you need for your research paper or want to suggest more books in a particular subject area, please don't hesitate to talk to the librarians at the Information Services Desk. You can also contact us at (407) 708-2305. If the book you need isn't on the shelf, we can help you find alternative materials on your topic and also suggest other libraries' resources.

Need a Laptop? Borrow One From Us!

Every so often, our library computer labs are completely full. Or maybe you just prefer to do your research on your own in the quiet areas of the library. Either way, the Seminole State College Library has several Netbook computers for you to borrow while you're here! They're equipped with wireless Internet access, the Microsoft Office programs, and they even have touchscreen features.



Laptops are available at the Sanford/Lake Mary, Oviedo, and Altamonte Springs campuses- just ask at the desk when you come in. While you're at, feel free to borrow a set of headphones at the same time.

Citation Help

The Seminole State College Library want to help you with your citations.

Why bother?
Citing sources:

• gives credit to the author/creator
• helps prevent plagiarism
• allows the reader to understand your process
• gives the reader a means for further research

and most importantly,

• it is an expectation of college-level work!

Where do I get help?
APA Style Handbooks: Ref BF76.7 .P83 2010
MLA Style Handbooks: Ref PN147 .G444 2008
Turabian Style Handbooks: Ref LB2369 .T8 2007

and from the  Library website, click here for our link to the Purdue Online Writing Lab:

Happy Citing!
Uncle Sam picture courtesy of connect.in.com

You May Have Noticed Our New Library Catalog...

If you looked at our library catalog in the last week or so, no, you weren't mistaken- the Seminole State Library now has a new library catalog! It looks different, but functions largely the same way as it did before...with a few tips and tricks added:

1) It is much better to use the Advanced Search option to begin your research.

Here you'll be able to select your preferred material type (book, e-book, audio/visual, etc.), desired campus, and use Boolean search terms (AND, OR, NOT). This will allow you to conduct a good search from the start.
2) The results screen may be the biggest change to the catalog, but it still works just like the previous version.

The "Details" tab will provide you with all of your citation information as well as a summary/table of contents for the item, instead of clicking the title link.

The "Locations" tab will give you a list of all Seminole State campuses where the item is available, as well as options from other colleges to obtain it.

The "Request Item" tab is where you will place a request for the item to be sent to your desired campus. Remember that you must log in at the top right of the screen first.

3) The best way to search for journal, magazine, or newspaper articles is to use the "Search Databases" option on the main library page. Once you log in, you'll be able to choose individual databases to best suite your research needs.


Hopefully using these tips will allow you to use the catalog more or less the same way as the previous version.If you have any problems, please give us a call at 407-708-2305. We'll be able to walk you through any of the new features.

QR Codes in the Library

Have you ever seen those funny looking barcodes around the store or in the newspaper? Next time you stop into the Seminole State Library, you might notice several QR codes posted around the building. If you have a smartphone, download a QR Code reader from here- I-nimga is, in our opinion, the best QR Code reader available- and play along with us!

We have eight different codes plastered around the library- see if you can find them all, and then come tell us about it at the desk! We also have a display in the second floor computer lab with examples and some history behind the technology...so come check that out too!

And lastly, before you leave for the day, stop by the designated computer terminal to create your own QR Codes. Please post them on the display board so everyone can see your message, and take a look at what others are doing. We want you to experience this technology first hand and show us what you can do with it.

All Campuses closed Monday May 30th for Memorial Day

First established in 1868 by a civil war veteran in remembrance of his fallen comrades, Memorial Day is now a nationally celebrated holiday.
Memorial Day, now officially declared each year by the president of the united states, began as "Decoration Day" to honor those soldiers who fell during the American Civil War (1861-65). As America aged and her armed forces continued to serve, the holiday became Memorial Day as all war dead were honored. Read the history from the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Some of the celebrations on Memorial Day include:

• Flags at half-mast: "On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes." (From the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs.) Read more here.
• Poppies: Canadian poet and military surgeon John McCrae honored the dead of the World War I Battles in Flanders with his poem "In Flanders Fields," and the red flowers he wrote of have become an emblem of remembrance. Click here to read the poem and learn more about poppies on Memorial Day.
• At Arlington National Cemetery, a wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

What is your college degree worth?

Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Work Force staff Anthony Carnevale, Jeff Strohl and Melanie Melton have just published What's it Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors.


This 82 page report is available on line - and annual salaries for many different areas are reported. In addition, race and gender information is provided.

Netlix in the Library

Need to watch a movie for your class? Are you in between classes and and to watch a movie or favorite TV show. The Library now offers Netflix instant streaming of select movies and television shows on two Roku media players. Come to the Informations Services Desk if you are interested.

Citing Websites, APA style

For many learners, trying to follow the APA style guidelines can be an extremely frustrating process, especially when the item you’re trying to cite doesn’t fit neatly within a given category, for example, citing from a Website. Keep in mind there might be reasons why there aren’t clear citation examples. In this case, Websites don’t tend to be cited in academic writing – instead researchers and students make use of peer-reviewed articles. So make sure you consider if your source is appropriate before citing it.

Here’s a blog entry I found, How to Cite Something You Found on a Website in APA Style that goes over the best practices for citing from Websites. Because this blog is put out by people from the APA (American Psychological Association), it has some weight and authority behind it instead of some professors’ ‘best APA tips’ page that you might find on the Web.

The APA Style Blog is actually part of the larger APA Style Website, which has a lot of useful resources and might clear up a few APA headaches before they become raging migraines.

Welcome back, students!

Now that Summer Term has started, here is a quick refresher of some the services the library offers that you may not be aware of:

• Student ID's are made in the library at Sanford and Altamonte
• We lend out Kindles and Nook eReaders
• We offer live chat from our home page for instant assistance
• The library has 38,000 e-books you have access to 24/7
• Streaming movies area available for your class assignments with our Netflix subscription
• Netbooks can be checked out in the library, as well as headphones and portable DVD players

Library Hours between semesters

The Library will be open the following hours next week, May 1-6

Sunday-Closed
Monday through Thursday-8-4
Friday 8-2

We are also closed Saturday and Sunday. Regular hour will resume Monday May 9th, the first day of Summer Term classes.

LOL in the OED-OMG!

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) calls itself “the definitive record of the English Language.” Unlike standard dictonaries, which have current meanings and spellings of words, the OED is a historical dictionary. The OED defines current words, but also traces the history of words through real examples. Think quotes and examples (3 million in all) from literature to film to cookbooks.

The print version of OED is a huge text (20 volumes) which is in the Library Reference collection on the second floor at REf PE1628.F6. We also have the online version in our databases.Every three months the OED reveals its revisions, which may include new words, new useage, or new examples.
Some surprising new entries:

LOL, int. and n., Originally and chiefly in the language of electronic communications: ‘ha ha!’; used to draw attention to a joke or humorous statement, or to express amusement

OMG, int. (and n.) Expressing astonishment, excitement, embarrassment, etc.: ‘oh my God!’

muffin top, n,: slang. A roll of flesh which hangs visibly over a person’s (esp. a woman’s) tight-fitting waistband.

Psst....We're on Youtube!

No, we weren't the subject of an embarrassing video, but did you know that the Seminole State College Library has our own Youtube channel? Well...we do, and you can find us right here!

You'll find our library tutorials on how to use the library catalog, how to choose a research database, requesting a book, and even how-to guides to some free Web tools. Check us out periodically, because we'll be adding new videos as quickly as we can make them- everything from evaluating sources to free research-oriented mobile apps. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what kinds of videos would be most helpful to your own research!

Celebrate National Poetry Month!

National Poetry Month was started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. It is now held every April and is celebrated by publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the county! Visit the Library of Congress website (www.loc.gov/poetry/) for more about the celebrations on poetry this month!

Be a poet - send a tweet of YOUR original poetry (140 characters or less, of course) to #TMMPoetry. If YOUR poem is chosen, National Public Radio (NPR) will help you record it and will air it by the end of the month. Now, that's next week - so get busy!

Study Rooms

Now that the term is coming to an end, the Group Study Rooms are in high demand. Please be courteous to your fellow students and leave the study rooms for two or more students. The very large Quiet Study room is perfect for individual study.

April 18 is Tax Day

Today is Tax Day. Normally it is April 15 but it had been extended to midnight tonight. The library carries many of the forms you need at the Information Services Desk

National Library Week April 10-16

National Library Week is April 10-16. Come to the Library and help us celebrate it with cool prizes and candy. Fill out an entry at the Information Services Desk to win Book Store gift cards, Nature's tables certificates, Seminole State t-shirts and sweatshirts, pens, book cubes, book lights, hardback copies of Tom Clancy and John Grisham books, and a "lunch with a librarian".
If you have a smart phone enter our Foursquare contest too. Scan our Foursquare code and win a 4MB jump drive!

Tagging the Library Catalog

One of the neat features of using our PRIMO library catalog is the ability for users to add their own tags to items.

It allows you to provide some context and commentary on books, e-books, DVDs, or other items that you have used and found particularly useful or good (or, I suppose, not very good, too). It helps other students to find materials for their research, as well as leaving a reminder for you to come back to later.

All you need to do is log in to your LINCC library account to get started!

The Truth about Wikipedia

Wikipedia is not verified, fact checked, or guaranteed to be true.
Honest!
From Wikipedia:
“It is in the nature of an ever-changing work like Wikipedia that, while some articles are of the highest quality of scholarship, others are admittedly complete rubbish. We are fully aware of this.”

With Wikipedia, anyone can change any page. Are these changes fact or opinion? Are authors the expert on their topics? Some are...and many are not.
Wikipedia is great for casual research, and excels at pop culture information. (The Anime page is comprehensive and packed with verifiable links and references.) But with academic research, you want information to be correct and written by experts, not by enthusiastic volunteers.

 

You must go beyond Wikipedia for good research. Check out a book, or find an article in Academic Search Complete.
Unsure where to start? Library staff can help! We know the online and print resources and love research. Just ask!

Is your computer keeping you away at night?

Have you ever been up late working on a paper or project until the wee hours and then fallen into bed certain that you will be out like a light, only to lie awake for hours? 
 Perhaps the problem is that you have been staring so long at your unnaturally bright computer screen. 
 F.lux is an application that can help to minimize the effects that the bright light has on your ability to relax and go to sleep at night.  F.lux adapts the color of your computer screen to be bright during the daylight hours and then warms these colors in the evening, reducing the strain on your eyes and allowing you to fall asleep when you finally finish that paper in the middle of the night.  It automatically adjusts the lighting of your computer based upon where you live and what lighting is occurring naturally at each moment during the day.

Click here for the free application.