Extended Library Hours in December

Are you looking for a quiet place to study for your final exams? Need to finish up that final research paper? The library hours will be extended begining next Monday December 6.

Extended Library Hours - Main Campus

Monday December 6.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday December 7.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday December 8.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Thursday December 9.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Friday December 10.... 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Saturday December 11.... 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Sunday December 12.... Closed

Monday December 13.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday December 14.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday December 15.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Thursday December 16.... 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Friday December 17.... 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

December 18 – January 11...... Winter Break – Closed

Have a Cell Phone? Text a Librarian?

Have a question? Text us!
We now offer free text message reference services.
(standard message rates apply)

Text us at 66746 and start your question with swclib
Example: swclib What are the library hours on Saturdays?


We will respond as soon as possible.

Save us in your contacts and send us questions when your on the go!

Thanksgiving Holiday

The library will be closing at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday November 24 for the Thanksgiving holidays.

We will reopen on Monday November 29 at 8:00 a.m.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Death Penalty Debates by Kenneth Jost,
November 19, 2010

Is the capital punishment system working?

Public support for capital punishment in the United States remains strong on paper, but opponents say it is weakening in practice. The number of new death sentences fell in 2009 to its lowest point in four decades and seems likely to end even lower in 2010. The number of executions has also fallen to half the number or fewer than in the 1990s.

Critics and opponents of the death penalty say prosecutors may be seeking the death penalty less often because of the costs of a capital trial, sentencing and post-conviction proceedings. Jurors may also be worried about the costs of the system, the delay between sentence and execution and the risk of executing an innocent person. Supporters of capital punishment counter that the costs and delays result primarily from obstructionism by death penalty lawyers and that the risk of a wrongful execution is all but nonexistent.

• Does the death penalty deter capital crimes?
  
• Does capital punishment cost more to administer than it is worth?
  
• Do capital defendants have adequate legal representation in court and after sentencing?
  

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

Got a Question? Need an Answer?

Try our Online Reference Chat Service

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Need Off Campus Access to the Library?

For off campus access to resources on our Articles and Databases website complete our Password Request Form at www.swccd.edu/~library/PasswordRequest/.

Currently enrolled students will receive a list of usernames and passwords within minutes, that can be used to access library resources.

Enjoy access to the library 24 hours a day and 7 days a week from home and other off campus locations. For more information visit the library's website www.swccd.edu/~library

Extended Library Hours in December

Are you looking for a quiet place to study for your final exams? Need to finish up that final research paper? The library hours will be extended during the month of December. Extended hours begin the week before and during the week of final exams.

Extended Library Hours - Main Campus

Monday December 6.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday December 7.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday December 8.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Thursday December 9.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Friday December 10.... 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Saturday December 11.... 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Sunday December 12.... Closed

Monday December 13.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday December 14.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday December 15.... 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Thursday December 16.... 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Friday December 17.... 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

December 18 – January 11...... Winter Break – Closed

ARTstor: New collection agreement

Coming soon to ARTstor will be the archive of architectural photographer Julius Shulman (1910–2009). This archive will span his career from 1936 to 1997 and documents the development of modern architecture in Southern California. Shulman's most famous work is the photograph for Case Study House No. 22, the Stahl House designed by architect Pierre Koenig. In this seminal image, two stylish women are shown chatting in a living room as the glass-walled, cantilevered structure of the house juts out over the side of Laurel Canyon, revealing the bright lights and street grid of Los Angeles below.

Over the course of his career, Shulman created one of the most comprehensive visual records of the development of modern architecture within the urban fabric of Los Angeles and the changing landscape of Southern California. The collection in ARTstor will represent highlights from the Julius Shulman photography archive, which comprises more than 260,000 negatives, prints, transparencies, and related printed material.

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

This Week in CQ Researcher

Blighted Cities by Thomas J. Billitteri, November 12, 2010

Is demolishing parts of cities the way to save them?

Dozens of cities, including Detroit, Flint, Mich., and Youngstown, Ohio, have been ravaged by staggering declines in population and vast neighborhood blight. Some planners are advocating controversial “shrinking-cities” strategies aimed at demolishing thousands of derelict structures, converting blighted blocks to open space or other uses and providing incentives for residents of decrepit neighborhoods to move to healthier ones, in part to save on municipal-service costs. But critics say demolishing parts of cities is the wrong way to save them, and they point to failed urban-renewal efforts of the 1960s as evidence.

Meanwhile, progress is slow in cities that are trying to remake themselves. Funds for demolition and cleanup are tight, and residents fear being forced to relocate – a practice city officials deny advocating. Moreover, intractable urban problems such as poverty and unemployment make the prospect of reducing blight especially daunting.

• Do property laws unfairly favor owners?
  
• Is shrinkage a sound strategy for the most troubled cities?
  
• Should people living in blighted and depopulated neighborhoods be forced to move?
  

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

Library Closed - Veteran's Day

In observance of Veteran's Day the library will be closed Friday and Saturday. We will reopen on Monday November 15 at 8 a.m.

Some library resources are available through our Online Library.

Additional help is also availabe from our live online chat service located on our Ask a Librarian website.

Check It Out

The Shallows : what the Internet is doing to our brains
by Nicholas Carr
New Book Shelf QP360 .C3667 2010

Science and technology writer Nicholas Carr latest book explores how the tools of the Internet age are altering the way people find and use information. Carr spends much of the book exploring how technology has shaped human habits of information consumption. Written language, for instance, made the poet-historian's memory less crucial. With Gutenberg's printing press, reading became widespread and the human brain, ever plastic, adapted to new demands. Now, the shift to online information is causing further neural changes.

Carr maintains that the Internet encourages distraction and superficiality. The sheer volume of information overwhelms anyone's ability to absorb it. So instead of becoming absorbed, users browse from link to link to Twitter feed, gaining a broad but shallow appreciation of the available information. His take on the problems of the plugged-in brain is sure to spur debate, though -- both online and off.

Check out , The Shallows : what the Internet is doing to our brains available now in the library on the New Book Shelf New Book Shelf QP360 .C3667 2010

Internet Resource: Wolfram Alpha

Touted as a "computational knowledge engine" that searches its own extensive database in an attempt to answer a user's question. This site responds to queries written in sentences rather than keywords. The mathematical abilities of WolframAlpha are excellent, but you can look up information on anything stocks, weather, health, linguistics, people, organizations, sports, music, and much more.

Here are some examples of interesting searches:

1)“What is the largest land mammal?” the answer is here.


2) What are the chemical structures of Taxol? Buckminsterfullerene?

Or try searching the free text search window, give it a try, type in a date, city name, a calculation or ask for the median wage of an accountant. Give it a try..

Credo Reference E-Books

This award winning online reference solution offers 511 reference related electronic book titles from over 70 publishers. This link will take you to the complete list of titles that you can access through Credo Reference.

How can students access Credo Online Reference? Visit our Articles and Databases website and select Credo Reference. If you need access from an off campus location, use the Password Request Form and submit your request, currently enrolled students will receive access information within minutes by email.

Additional information regarding off campus access for currently enrolled students can be found at our Off Campus Access Information website.