Library Closed Tuesday, March 31

The Library will be closed Tuesday, March 31 in observance of César Chávez Day.

The Library will resume regular hours on Wednesday, April 1.

In San Diego, there are events planned to commemorate César Chávez Day, including those organized by the San Diego César E. Chávez Commemoration Committee.

SWC Library Streaming Media Collection

Now available at Southwestern College Library is a collection of instructional videos that can be streamed and viewed from your computer desktop.

Our Films on Demand collection include instructional titles exploring topics in career and job searching, child development, health, psychology and sociology.

You must be a currently enrolled student to access the Films on Demand service.

Check it out

TITLE: The Nine : inside the secret world of the Supreme Court

AUTHOR: Jeffrey Toobin
CALL NUMBER: Stacks KF 8748 T665 2008

REVIEWER: Sidney Laramie, SWC Librarian

What an enjoyable way to learn how the Supreme Court works! While Toobin analyses the court in general and some of its major cases (especially Bush v. Gore), the book reads more like a work of fiction. At one point I skipped to the end of a chapter because I couldn’t put the book down without knowing how the chapter ended.

In most of this book the author focuses on the Supreme Court under Rehnquist; he truly takes us behind the scenes there so that the judges become real people in our eyes. We see their personalities, values, how their pasts effect their votes, how they interact with each other, and the effect each of them had or has on the court and therefore on our country. We also come away with insight into the politics of the court – how the justices decide what cases will be heard, who will write the majority and dissenting opinions, etc., and other machinations to effect the vote.

Got a Research Question

Southwestern College Library

24/7 Online Reference Help @
http://www.swccd.edu/~library/ask.htm

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online

Now for the first time, the entire set of 10 print volumes of The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music is available as a single, integrated online collection. From the Southwestern College Library website, you can use this online resource to stream and listen to over 300 hundred audio music examples from around the world.

The encyclopedia, also includes more than 9,000 pages of music research of all the world's peoples.

For off campus use of the Garland encyclopedia, you must be a currently enrolled students here at Southwestern College.

Check it out

Russia
Editor: Viqi Wagner
Call number: New Book Shelf DK 510.76 O55 2009
Reviewer: Sidney Laramie, SWC Librarian

Doing a Pro and Con Paper and looking for an interesting subject which your instructor isn’t sick of? Look no further….

When the Soviet Union disintegrated Russia was largely written off. However, it is now playing an increasingly important role on the world stage and an increasing number of people are now asking, “What’s going on with Russia?”

Published as part of the “Opposing Viewpoints Series”, this work contains three chapters in which authors give the pros and cons of various issues, and a summary chapter. Chapter 1 covers Russia’s role in international politics and contains debates on whether Russia’s role in the Middle East is increasing or decreasing and whether Russia will be the world’s next energy superpower. In Chapter 2 the discussion is centered on whether Russia is moving towards or away from a democracy, and in chapter 3 authors give their opinions on how western culture is influencing Russia and what Russians think about its influence. In the summary chapter “Russia’s biggest problem” is discussed.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Vanishing Jobs by Peter Katel,
March 13, 2009

Will the president’s plan reduce unemployment?

The news is grim and getting grimmer. The jobless rate recently hit 8.1 percent – the highest level in a quarter-century. American workers lost 651,000 jobs in February alone. All told, more than 12.5 million Americans are jobless – including 2.9 million who have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks. The nation is banking on the Obama administration’s newly enacted, $787 billion “economic stimulus” bill to spark job growth through government spending on infrastructure projects and other programs.

Conservatives argue that the spending won’t help, and some liberals say the magnitude of the crisis calls for still more stimulus money. The huge spending measure also includes funds to encourage states to expand eligibility for unemployment insurance, though some governors are resisting on the grounds that their states will wind up footing future bills.

• Will the economic stimulus bill create or save 3.6 million jobs, as promised?
• Is retraining for new skills the best option for laid-off workers?
• Should unemployment insurance be extended beyond what the recovery act allows?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Remote Access link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

Meet the Author of the 2009 College Book!

Wednesday, March 18th, 7 p.m.
Room L238 North/South
Library/Learning Resource Center

Join us in welcoming Patricia Santana, author of Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility, which is our College Book for 2008-2009. As a published work, Motorcycle was selected as a Best Books for Young Adults 2003 by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and was also San Diego Magazine’s 2003 Book Award winner in fiction. Ms. Santana was born and raised in South San Diego. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, San Diego in English and Spanish Literature, and a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Orientations for Online Students

Enrolled in on online class? Spend 60 minutes with us first.

Attend a one-hour intro session and learn about SWC’s Blackboard Online Learning System. For a complete schedule of orientation sessions, visit the Online Learning Center help site:
http://www.swccd.edu/~olc/OnlineOrientations.htm

Free, no signup necessary. Please be on time.

Currently Featured Display in the Library

President Barack Obama has proclaimed March Irish-American Heritage Month. Stop by the third floor of the Library this month to see a display of books honoring the struggles and contributions of Irish-American settlers, as well as the President's proclamation.

A Crime So Monstrous

Guest Author E. Benjamin Skinner
“Modern Day Slavery”

Thursday, March 19th
9:30-10:45 a.m., Southwestern College Gymnasium

E. Benjamin Skinner, guest speaker and author of A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery, spent years of reporting in such places as Haiti, Sudan, India, Eastern Europe, The Netherlands, and, even suburban America, where he has produced a vivid testament and moving reportage on one of the great evils of our time.

There are more slaves in the world today than at any time in history. After spending four years visiting a dozen countries where slavery flourishes, Skinner tells the story of individuals who live in slavery, those who have escaped from bondage, those who own or traffic in slaves, and the mixed political motives of those who seek to combat the crime. Skinner infiltrates trafficking networks and slave sales on five continents, exposing a modern flesh trade never before portrayed in such proximity. From mega-harems in Dubai to illicit brothels in Bucharest, from slave quarries in India to child markets in Haiti, he explores the underside of a world we scarcely recognize as our own and lays bare a parallel universe where human beings are bought, sold, used, and discarded.

Don't Drown in an Ocean of Results

Southwestern College Library

24/7 Online Reference Help @

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

Artstor: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Nearly 2,000 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art have been added to the Digital Library. This latest release brings the total number of images from the Metropolitan Museum encyclopedic collection to more than 7,600 in the ARTstor Digital Library.


The Metropolitan Museum of Art — founded in 1870 with a mission to collect, preserve, and display works of art spanning 5,000 years of world culture from every part of the globe, and to educate the public about art.


To view the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection: go to the ARTstor Digital Library, browse by collection, and click "The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection" or enter the keyword earch: "metmuseum".


To view ARTstor from off campus locations you need to create an ARTstor account at http://www.artstor.org/ from any on campus computer.

Check it out

Going Broke: Why Americans Can't Hold On To Their Money
Author: Stuart Vyse
Call #: New Books HG 3766 V97 2008
Reviewer: Tanya Carr, SWC Librarian

In this time relevant book, Vyse poses the question, "why, in the richest nation on earth, can't Americans hold on to their money?" The author offers phsychological explanations for the reader to consider: Americans are bankrupt due to over extending themselves. Instant gratification has become the American way. Modern conveniences such as credit cards, toll-free shopping, and the Internet have changed the way we shop. These and many other ideas are explored in relation to how major changes in American society over the last three decades has complicated our relationship with money.

March eBook of the Month

At present, there are roughly a billion motor vehicles in the world. Within twenty years, the number will double to 2 billion, largely a consequence of China's and India's explosive growth. Given that greenhouse gases are already creating havoc with our climate and that violent conflict in oil-rich nations is on the rise, does this mean that matters will only get worse? Or are there hopeful signs that effective, realistic solutions can be found?

In Two Billion Cars, transportation experts Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon provide a concise history of America's love affair with cars and an overview of the global oil and auto industries. America is still the leading emissions culprit, and what is especially worrying is that developing nations are becoming car-centric cultures as well.

Two Billion Cars will be provided with free, unlimited access through March 31.


If you have already established a NetLibrary account through Southwestern College Library, visit http://www.netlibrary.com/ and log in to read "Two Billion Cars" or any of our other 19,000 electronic book titles from your home, work or any other off campus location.


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 information page .

Save the Date - Patricia Santana, Guest Speaker

Wednesday, March 18th, 7 p.m.

Room L238 North/South

Library/Learning Resource Center

Join us in welcoming Patricia Santana, author of Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility, which is our College Book for 2008-2009. As a published work, Motorcycle was selected as a Best Books for Young Adults 2003 by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and was also San Diego Magazine’s 2003 Book Award winner in fiction. Ms. Santana was born and raised in South San Diego. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, San Diego in English and Spanish Literature, and a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Check it out

So Sexy, So Soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids

Authors: Diane E. Levin and Jean Kilbourne
Call Number: Stacks HQ 792 U56 L48 2008
Reviewed by: Laura Galván-Estrada, SWC Librarian

This timely book focuses on how children are becoming sexualized younger and younger and offers parents guidance on dealing with specific issues. It will help parents nurture a healthy sexuality in their children. The book says that most previous research and efforts have focused on adolescents and girls but there is a growing need for help in this area during early childhood and for both boys and girls.

The authors explore the problem, have plenty of concrete examples for real parents and then they dig in to offer concrete solutions. The first chapter, for example, is called "Never too young to be sexy: living with children in today’s sexualized world." This chapter talks about issues such as body image, sexual harrasment, and about learning about sex on the internet.

So, if you have kids or work with children, this is a must read!

This Week in CQ Researcher

Closing Guantanamo by Kenneth Jost,
February 27, 2009


Can President Obama close the detention camp within one year?


President Obama on his second full day in office ordered the closing of the Guantánamo detention camp within a year. The facility at the U.S. Naval Station in Cuba has been controversial ever since President George W. Bush decided in late 2001 to use it to hold suspected enemy combatants captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere.


Both Obama and Republican candidate John McCain promised during the presidential campaign to close the facility if elected. But that poses many difficult issues about the camp’s remaining 241 prisoners. The government wants to send many to other countries, with few takers so far. Some may be brought to the U.S. for trial, but those prosecutions would raise a host of uncharted legal issues. Human-rights advocates worry the Obama administration may continue to back some form of preventive detention for suspected terrorists.

• Should the government continue repatriating Guantánamo detainees to other countries?
  
• Should Guantánamo detainees be prosecuted in civilian courts?
  
• Should some Guantánamo detainees be held indefinitely without military or civilian trial?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Remote Access link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.