Got a Question? Need an Answer?

Try our Online Reference Chat Service

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Real People - Real Help - Real Fast

http://www.swccd.edu/~library/ask.htm

Closed Monday, March 31

The Library will be closed on Monday, March 31 in honor of Cesar Chavez Day.

We will return to regular open hours on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.

The Library will be open on Saturday, March 29 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

We're listening!

Southwestern College is in the process of a self-study for accreditation purposes, and we need to have your thoughts on the job we are doing.

Please take this short Library Survey. It will take only a few minutes, and your responses will be anonymous.

Thank you for your help!

Check it out

Motherbridge of Love
by Xinran Xue and Josee Masse (Illustrator)
Barefoot Books, 2007
Call #: PZ 7 X82 M57 2007

When I picked up this book I thought it was going to be a collection of poems reflecting the Chinese culture in some aspect. But I found the lyrical poem to be a universal potrayal of adoption. The illustrations compliment the answer to the question, "This place or your birth place- which are you a daughter of?" The answer reveals "Both of them, my darling- and two different kinds of love."

Motherbridge of Love is available for a 4-week check out with your SWC photo ID.

Book review by Tanya Carr, SWC Librarian

This Week in CQ Researcher

Women in Politics by Kenneth Jost, March 21, 2008.

Does gender bias hurt female candidates?

The number of women holding political office in the United States has grown substantially over the past two decades. But even with a record number of 86 women in Congress today, men still outnumber women by more than 5-to-1.

Within Congress, female lawmakers have helped bring greater attention to some issues affecting women, families and children, but partisan divisions have thwarted some of their initiatives.

• Do women candidates face political disadvantages because of their sex?
  
• Has the increased number of women in political office affected public policy?
  
• Should women cast a “gender ballot” to try to correct the underrepresentation of women in public office?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Access Off-Campus link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

Library closed for Spring Break

The library will be closed from Monday, March 17 - Saturday, March 22 for Spring Break. We will reopen Monday, March 24 at 7:30 a.m.

Our online reference service, Ask Us Now, will be available during the break.

For a complete listing of library hours, off-campus access to resources, and research help, visit the library's website.

Happy Spring Break!

Check it out

Generation ageless : how baby boomers are changing the way we live today--and they're just getting started

by J. Walker Smith & Ann Clurman
Collins, 2007

Call No.: HN 59.2 .S583 2007

Baby Boomers comprise a group of 78 million people born between the years 1946-1964. The Yankelovich, Inc. researchers, who coined the term “baby boomer”, have been collecting data on this dynamic generation of Americans for decades. In this insightful book, the authors discuss the values, trends, and psychological make-up of this group as a whole, discuss what historical events shaped the boomers’ lives, as well as what impacts the boomers have had upon the American culture. Well documented, with an index and an appendix, the book includes much of the raw data from which the conclusions have been reached. Whether the reader is a sociologist, a market researcher, a baby boomer, or just curious, Generation Ageless will provide much food for thought.

Generation Ageless is currently available for check out in the New Book Area.

Book review by Ann Willard, SWC Librarian

New Online Music Resources

Bring more than 160,000 streaming music tracks to your desktop, the library offers four online music resources from our Articles and Databases website http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm

We now offer the Classical Music Library with selections ranging from the earliest Gregorian chants to works by modern composers—including symphonic music, vocal and instrumental music, choral works, and other forms.

The American Song database with the songs of Civil Rights, political campaigns, Prohibition, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and anti-war protests.

The Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries is a virtual encyclopedia of the world's musical forms. The collection also encompasses animal sounds, calypso; classical violin instruction; drama; poetry; sounds of the deep ocean and great performances of traditional music from virtually everywhere in the world.

African American Song includes jazz, blues, gospel, and other forms of African American musical expression.

Include a little music in your day by visiting our Articles and Databases website http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm

Today! Open House at Otay Mesa Library

Come and check out the library during Otay Mesa's open house today, Tuesday, March 11th.

Meet our talented and friendly staff at the library and at our informational table. Browse the book collection, see the wonderful facility with state of the art workstations, study rooms, study space and more. And don't forget to pick up a free bookmark!

The Otay Mesa Library is open today from 7:30 am - 4 pm. Come and discover a wealth of information at your fingertips.

Otay Mesa Library

Higher Education Center at Otay Mesa

8100 Gigantic Street

San Diego, CA 92154

619-216-6750 x4424

libraryom@swccd.edu

Directions and Map

Friends of the Library Essay Contest Deadline March 24

You can win $250 in the Friends of the Library essay contest. The deadline to submit your essay is Monday, March 24, at noon. This will be the first day back after spring break, so take advantage of your time off from classes to polish your entry. Read the rules for the contest by clicking here http://swcwhatsnew.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html#7502354415365499640

Please note: Late entries will not be accepted!

This Week in CQ Researcher

Future of the Airlines by Peter Katel, March 7, 2008

Do passengers need a bill of rights?

These are difficult times for the U.S. airline industry, what with angry passengers and politicians, outmoded air traffic control technology and a recent spike in near-collisions on runways. In recent years, hundreds of passengers have been kept on grounded planes without adequate food, water or functioning toilets for more than 10 hours in some cases.

• Is the FAA up to its job of maintaining safety?
  
• Would mergers among the remaining major airlines improve passenger service?
  
• Should states enact “bill of rights” legislation to protect travelers?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Access Off-Campus link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

Check it out

Geek Chic : Smart Women in Popular Culture
by Sherrie A. Inness

Palgrave Macmillan, 2007

An excellent resource for a term paper about American women and how they continue to shape their place in pop culture and society. This book challenges the stereotype that brainy "geeks" are always men. In Geek Chic, contributors provide fictional television characters as well as real women to depict how the popular media continuously affirms "cliched notions of feminitity" while at the same time challenges the denunciation of smart women.

Geek Chic is currently available in the New Book Area, Call No. HQ 1421 G43 2007 .

Book review by Tanya Carr, SWC Librarian

Don't put it off until Spring Break!

Get help now with your research so that your Spring Break is truly a break.



Ask Us Now! Online Reference Service
24 hours a day - 7 days a week
Real People, Real Help, Real Fast

http://www.swccd.edu/~library/ask.htm

March e-book of the Month

From the Primaries to the Polls by Thomas Gangale is NetLibrary's eBook of the Month for March. This year the nation will be electing a new president, the March eBook of the Month From the Primaries to the Polls describes the procedures and problems with the current presidential nominating process and proposes solutions.

If you have already established a NetLibrary account through Southwestern College Library, visit http://www.netlibrary.com/ and log in to read "From the Primaries to the Polls" or any of our other 19,000 e-book titles.

If you do not have a NetLibrary account, you can create your own account from any computer on the Southwestern College campuses. Visit our NetLibrary e-book page http://www.swccd.edu/~library/Lvl3/index.asp?L3=9 for more information.

Check it out

Being Prez : the life and music of Lester Young

by Dave Gelly
Oxford University Press, 2007.

Call number: ML419.Y7 G43 2007

A new biography on the life of one of the true giants of jazz Lester Young, who was given the nickname of “Prez” by Billie Holiday (short for President of the Tenor Saxophone). His unique sound and style influenced generations of musicians that followed him.

This new biography follows his life in his father’s traveling carnival band, his early career in Kanas City and the Southwest, his service in the U.S. Army, and his contributions during the Swing Era with Count Basie’s band and also with Billie Holiday.

Swing on by the library and check out Being Prez: the life and music of Lester Young by Dave Gelly.

Book review by Tony McGee, SWC Librarian