Monday, February 28, 2011

You could win $250

Once again the Friends of the SWC Library are sponsoring an essay contest for currently enrolled SWC students. There will be two prizes of $250 each. The essay prompt is based on this year’s College Book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Here is the essay prompt:

Pick a character from The Help about whom you have strong feelings . . . someone you really liked, or hated, or felt sorry for. Write an essay analyzing and explaining your choice. Use quotes and page numbers from the book to help support your explanation. Footnotes and Works Cited are not necessary.

Please note that only original submissions that are the student's own work will be considered. Please do not research or use any sources other than The Help. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in disqualification.

Essays must be no more than three pages and submitted by email to essaycontest@swccd.edu before 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, 2011. Late entries will not be accepted! A separate page (not counted in the three maximum) must give the student’s name, SWC ID #, email address, and telephone number. This page will be separated from the essay and a code will be assigned to the it so the judges will not know the identity of the student. No identifiers (name, ID #, etc.) are to appear in the essay itself.

Prizes will be given at the Student Awards Ceremony in May.

Questions? Contact Diane Gustafson at 482-6433 or dgustafson@swccd.edu

ARTstor: New Collection News

More than 1,600 images of traditional folk art and works by contemporary self-taught artists from the American Folk Art Museum's permanent collection are now available in the ARTstor Digital Library.

To view the American Folk Art Museum collection, go to the ARTstor Digital Library, browse by collection, and click "American Folk Art Museum"

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.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Where is your Online Library?

Stop by the SWC Online Library -- it's located wherever you like.

All you need is a connection to the Internet and the current passwords -- a wide array of resources is at your fingertips.

Open 24/7, with helpful 24/7 chat assistance from real-live academic librarians, the Online Library is good place to get started on that final project or midterm assignment coming due.

See you there!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Closed for Presidents' Day Weekend

All SWC campus libraries will be closed Friday, February 18 through Monday, February 21, to honor Presidents' Day. Libraries will resume regular hours on Tuesday, February 22.

Visit our Online Library to access a number of useful research tools and resources. Access from off-campus is available to SWC students, faculty, and staff.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Music Instinct: Science and Song

Why are humans moved by music? This program (originally produced for public television) explores the science behind the deep connection between music and our bodies and brains. ML3820 .M874 2009 dvd

Faculty may check out DVDs for classroom use and students may view them while in the library. Bring your SWC photo ID card and the DVD call number to the Circulation Desk.

The Library's New Items Blog provides you with the most up-to-date information about new DVDs and books that have been added to our collection.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Got a Question? Need an Answer?

Try our Online Reference Chat Service

Real People - Real Help - Real Fast

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

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

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Check It Out

Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family
by Condoleezza Rice
New Book Shelf -- E 840.8 R48 A3 2010

Condoleezza Rice, U.S. secretary of state under George W. Bush, looks back on her grandparents and parents, then moves forward through her own life up to the 2000 election. Some of the most moving parts are those relating to her early family life in Birmingham. Rice was a child during the height of the Civil Rights Movement while living in staunchly segregated Alabama. She knew the little girls killed in the 16th Street Church bombing and witnessed much of the violence of that time.

The former secretary of state Rice only briefly treats her tenure during the second Bush administration but she also writes about her swept into Washington Republican politics by Colin Powell and others, and she sketches the "wild ride" accompanying the Soviet Union's demise.


Check out, Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family
available now in the library on the New Book Shelf New Book Shelf E 840.8 R48 A3 2010

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

This Week in CQ Researcher

Crime on Campus by Peter Katel,
February 4, 2011

Are colleges doing enough to keep students safe?

A federal law requires colleges and universities to report the number of major crimes that occur on their campuses each year, but critics say the data fail to give a complete picture of offenses committed by or against students, particularly sexual assaults. On the whole, college students are safer than their nonstudent counterparts. Still, the annual data don’t include many off-campus crimes and others not reported by victims. What’s more, the law, known as the Clery Act, exempts campus counselors from having to report the number of alleged sexual assaults and other possible crimes students tell them about.

Critics argue that some administrators resist disclosing the extent of campus crimes to protect the image of their institutions. But some college officials are acknowledging the perils of campus crime and putting new emphasis on teaching students to head off potential danger. They are focusing in part on binge drinking, which has been shown to have a strong link to sexual assaults.

  • Has the Clery Act increased campus safety?
  • Should campus women’s centers be required to report statistics on sexual violence?
  • Are laws and lawsuits forcing schools to become more protective of students?


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.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

America's Historical Newspapers - 1690-2000


Our newest online resource is the America's Historical Newspaper database. This database allows you to search or browse American newspapers published from 1690 to 2000. You can also view the full text newspaper articles using either a timeline or by a topic search. This newspaper resource provides eyewitness accounts during the Revolutionary War, westward expansion, the Civil War, Reconstruction, industrialization, the Progressive Era, World War I, the Great Depression, Vietnam War, World War II, Civil Rights Movement, Cold War, globalization and other eras.

Also included are illustrations, advertisements, classifieds, obituaries, stories about historic people and other articles exactly as they appeared in print.

To access this resource from off campus locations you must be a currently enrolled student or staff member at Southwestern College. You can request a username and password for American's Historical Newspapers by using our Password Request Form at http://www.swccd.edu/~library/Passwordrequest

Monday, February 07, 2011

You could win $250

Once again the Friends of the SWC Library are sponsoring an essay contest for currently enrolled SWC students. There will be two prizes of $250 each. The essay prompt is based on this year’s College Book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Here is the essay prompt:

Pick a character from The Help about whom you have strong feelings . . . someone you really liked, or hated, or felt sorry for. Write an essay analyzing and explaining your choice. Use quotes and page numbers from the book to help support your explanation. Footnotes and Works Cited are not necessary.

Please note that only original submissions that are the student's own work will be considered. Please do not research or use any sources other than The Help. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in disqualification.

Essays must be no more than three pages and submitted by email to essaycontest@swccd.edu before 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, 2011. Late entries will not be accepted! A separate page (not counted in the three maximum) must give the student’s name, SWC ID #, email address, and telephone number. This page will be separated from the essay and a code will be assigned to the it so the judges will not know the identity of the student. No identifiers (name, ID #, etc.) are to appear in the essay itself.

Prizes will be given at the Student Awards Ceremony in May.

Questions? Contact Diane Gustafson at 482-6433 or dgustafson@swccd.edu

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Check It Out

Tasting freedom : Octavius Catto and the battle for equality in Civil War America /
by Daniel R. Biddle and Murray Dubin.

New Book Shelf -- F158.44.C36 B53 2010

Octavius Valentine Catto was an orator who shared stages with Frederick Douglass, a second baseman on Philadelphia s best black baseball team, a teacher at the city s finest black school and an activist who fought in the state capital and on the streets for equal rights.

Killed in an 1871 Philadelphia Election Day riot to keep blacks from voting, Octavius Valentine Catto (1839-71) pushed to desegregate streetcars, secure voting rights, and demand rigor in schools in Pennsylvania and its self-styled City of Brotherly Love during the turbulent Civil War era.

This new title follows Octavius Catto from birth in Charleston, SC, through his family's move north, his schooling, and his camaraderie with the likes of black leaders such as Frederick Douglass. The captivating story illustrates the too often neglected street battles for black rights in northern cities long before the hot summers of the 1960's.

Check out Tasting freedom , available now in the library on the New Book Shelf New Book Shelf F158.44.C36 B53 2010