Virtually Fun

Step into a virtual world and test virtual reality gear to celebrate International Games Week on Tuesday and Wednesday! We'll be in Room L238N with some fun equipment to try out.

Tuesday, October 31: 9:30 am - 1:45 pm
Wednesday, November 1: 2:30 pm - 4:45 pm

BOO! Check It Out

Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween

by Lisa Morton

Reaktion Books, 2012.

Call Number: GT4965.M67 2012

Every wonder where the Halloween tradition originated? This book contains historical information about Halloween, along with an overview of present-day celebrations in popular culture.

Check this book our for 4 weeks with your SWC photo ID card! 

And have a safe and happy Halloween!

Career Research -- Join us Thursday!

Join us for 30-Minute Thursdays at noon in Room L-244. We'll be covering career research this Thursday, November 2.

Bring your questions and see you there!

 

Library closed?

We're still here!

Ask us now!

Chat with a librarian

Free research assistance

Available for all SWC students

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

What's your labor of love?

Do you like bikes? Looking to choose (or change) your career? Well, over the next ten years, the U.S. is projected to experience a 29% increase in jobs for Bicycle Repairers.

Mathematicians, Forest Fire Inspectors, and Solar Installers will also be in high demand. But overall, it’s health care industries that “are expected to account for a large share of new jobs projected through 2026, as the aging population continues to drive demand for health care services.” BLS News Release 10/24/17.

•       Fastest Growing Occupations
•       Highest Paying Occupations
•       Most New Jobs

These recently published reports are created by our every own U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. They are experts in collecting and analyzing this type of career data, along with specific San Diego economic data.

While you’re visiting their site, don’t miss the latest version of their Occupational Outlook Handbook. This comprehensive resource will give you up-to-date, detailed information about almost every career you can think of, from Boilermakers to Ride-Hailing Drivers. In each career summary, you’ll read about:

• What they do
•  What the work environment is like
•  How to become one 
• How much you can expect to be paid
• The likely job outlook for this career  
•  Similar occupations to the one you found

Interested in obtaining your Associate’s Degree? You can search the Occupational Outlook Handbook for all of the careers that require this degree. All of the features of the Occupational Outlook Handbook are also available en español.

Take a moment to check out the latest from the Department of Labor – you never know if you might stumble across a new labor of love.

Beyond YouTube

Join us for 30-Minute Thursdays at noon in Room L-244 -- free library workshops. 

This Thursday, we'll be introducing you to streaming media that you can't find on YouTube!

Ask your instructor if extra credit is available for attending. 

See you there!

 

Welcome to a New Reality

Virtual and Augmented Reality: 

The Future of Gaming, Training, Libraries, and Colleges

 

We have a new display on the second floor of the Library that focuses on Virtual and Augmented Reality. Check out our books and posters to see what you can do to start developing applications right away!

Project Funded by the Southwestern College Foundation

Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator
www.CharityNavigator.org 

Given all the recent events, many of us feel the desire to donate funds to help with recent tragedies, events, and organizations. But where should you donate?

There are currently 1.57 million charities registered in the United States! Who can you trust? What organizations will make the best use of your hard earned dollars? Check out Charity Navigator to find out! If you already have a charity in mind you can search for it by name. You can search by name, keywords, or even EIN number (this is the Tax ID number assigned to organizations).

Charities are given scores (0-100) and star ratings. You can see how much the charity spends on administrative costs, salaries of the CEO, advertising, even previous years’ tax filings. The site uses visual graphics to help clearly show how each charity rates on transparency, effectiveness, asset to liability ratios, and more. Contact information for the charity and address of record are listed. If you like what you see there is even a link to donate straight from there. But what if you have no idea where you want to give? Check out the “Hot Topics” list. Looking to help with Harvey, Irma, Syrian Refugees… quick links to charities supporting these issues are there. The site is key word searchable. Say you want to help stray cats in Boston… or women in Uganda, there are groups listed here. Whatever speaks to you, there is likely an organization listed here.

Still not sure? Check out the “Top Ten Lists.” Charity Navigator complies a list of their “Charities with a Perfect Score.” Here you’ll find a list organized by subject of charities doing it right. “The exceptional charities on this list execute their missions in a fiscally responsible way while adhering to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities.” (Charity Navigator, 2017) Charity Navigator includes a list of tips for donors. When a charity calls during dinner asking for help are you at a loss for how to handle them? There’s a list of tips here. How about how to protect yourself from online scams, or all those requests flooding your inbox? They’ve got tips for that too! Donating your time or money to a cause dear to you is a wonderful thing. This tool helps ensure that your donation is going somewhere legitimate and effective.

If you are considering donating take a moment to check out www.CharityNavigator.org Maybe you will help avoid a scam, but hopefully you can be even more secure knowing your selected organization is making good use of your donation. 

Review by Sarah Way, SWC Librarian

Today! Free Workshop at Noon

Join us for 30-Minute Thursdays at noon today in Room L-244. We'll be covering all the basics about the Library. 

Bring your questions and see you there!

 

Website of the Week

Public Policy Institute of California

"The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. We are dedicated to informing and improving public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research." 

PPIC reports are routinely cited in the media (from The Los Angeles Times to Breitbart) and are a great way to get beyond a news item to the original source. 

When tasked with finding a 'California angle' to an issue, the PPIC can be an excellent place to start. Topics include: climate change, corrections, the economy, education, population and the political landscape to name a few. To whet your appetite, here are a few titles of some recent PPIC reports:

• Millennial Voters and California Politics (August 2017). Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, David Kordus, Lunna Lopes . Millennials are less likely to register and vote than older Californians.
• Californians and Transportation (February 2017). Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, David Kordus, Lunna Lopes . Californians view traffic congestion as a big problem in most regions.
• Groundwater in California (May 2017) Caitrin Chappelle, Ellen Hanak, Thomas Harter Groundwater is a vital component of California’s water supply. On average, underground aquifers provide nearly 40% of the water used by California’s farms and cities..... 
• Californians and Housing Affordability (September 2017). Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, David Kordus, Lunna Lopes. Californians across the state experience financial strain from their housing costs.

Review by Bruce Johnson, SWC Librarian

SWC Cares

SWC Cares

The SWC Cares webpage provides information useful for Southwestern students that are hungry, homeless, have financial problems, require medical assistance, need a lawyer, and many other services. If you need to find information about a local social service, SWC Cares is a great place to start. 

In addition to providing information about community partners that provide services, SWC Cares provides access to two services here at the college: Jag Kitchen and SWC Cares Emergency Grant. They have a way to donate to the program at the bottom of the page.


The Resources pages has a great collection of links to local services:
http://www.swccd.edu/index.aspx?page=3826

Review by John Stanton, SWC Librarian ​