Website of the Week

U.S. Copyright is complicated! 

While there are a fair amount of resources for learning about copyright, sometimes it is best to go straight to the source. Part of the Library of Congress, the U.S. Copyright Office’s mission is, “To administer the Nation’s copyright laws for the advancement of the public good; to offer services and support to authors and users of creative works; and to provide expert impartial assistance to Congress, the courts, and the executive branch agencies on questions of copyright law and policy.”

While this website does not provide legal advice, it does provide useful information for understanding copyright. (Of course, if you need legal advice, it is best to consult a lawyer!) On their website, you can find links to copyright law, how to register for a copyright, and reports on modernizing copyright law. It also has a thorough Frequently Asked Questions page, where the questions range from “What is copyright?” to “Can I register a diary I found in my grandmother's attic?” You can also find a link to Taking the Mystery out of Copyright, which is designed for K-12 students but is a helpful resource for all ages.

Review by Monika Chavez, SWC Librarian

Website of the Week

Social Explorer 

https://www.socialexplorer.com 

Social Explorer is an interactive web-based resource that gives access to current and historical demographic data from 1790 to present. It allows you to create reports and download data to include the following features (and many more):

• Demography explores 220 years of demographic data with numerous socio-economic indicators (to include census information and surveys)
• Decennial Censuses on 2010 Geographies explores and compares County, state and national census data and makes it easy to identify historical changes
• Citizen Voting Age Population gives data from 2000 to 2015 for various geographic levels
• Election Data shows election results from 1912 to today for presidential, senatorial, congressional and gubernatorial data
• Crime Data provides data from 2010 to 2012 that includes burglaries, thefts, property crimes, and violent crimes
• Business Patterns provides geography and industry statistics annually at county, state, metropolitan, zip code and congressional district levels
• Population Estimates includes births, deaths and migration
• Health Data includes health factors such as health care accessibility, smoking, drinking, obesity, and more
• Cancer Data provides insights into the types of cancers and mortality distribution across the U.S. Handy "help" and "take a tour" features offer assistance with navigating the interactive maps and tables 

Review by Tanya Carr, SWC Librarian 

 

Website of the Week

National Geographic Mapmaker Interactive

https://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org/

National Geographic Mapmaker Interactive is a web-based mapping tool that allows you to create and annotate maps online with lines, shapes, text, photos and videos.

Base maps include streets, satellite, and topography. You can also add included data layers such as earth systems (natural disaster hot spots, plate tectonics, surface elevation), climate and weather (climate zones, precipitation and rainfall), environment (municipal solid waste generation, superfund sites), culture (language diversity, major religions), and much more!

 To view the included data layers:
(1) select the Layers tab
(2) click the Add Layer button
(3) click to select your desired layers
(4) click Done to view your map.

To view the legend/info for the map you created, select the Legend tab. 

The Human Footprint map (below) shows the global human footprint, illustrating the environmental impact of human activity on Earth's ecosystems. Click on the image to see detail.

Review by Rachael Smithey, SWC Librarian

Website of the Week

Open States: Discover Politics in Your State

https://openstates.org/

Open States is a collection of tools that make it possible for citizens to track what is happening in their state's capitol by aggregating information from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. 

To begin, you can either enter an address or select a state to see recently passed bills and detailed legislator information. Bill, legislator, committee and event data is collected from official sources, linked at the bottom of each legislator, bill, vote, committee or event page. 

The data is available to be downloaded from the Open States website or app.

Review by April Ibarra Siqueiros, SWC Librarian

Website of the Week

Big Future -- College Board College Search

Big Future College Board College Search 
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges

The same College Board that administers the SAT exam and AP exams has compiled a great site to search for colleges. Users can search for a specific college by name. But the cool features of this site appear when users have no idea where they want to go!

Check out the tab “I’m not sure where to start.” A guide will walk users through how they might want to begin their search. If you want to stay within 500 miles of your home, you can search that. If you want to search by majors you are interested in, you can search that.

Anyone can use the site without creating an account (which is free), but the best features come into play when users create a profile. Let’s say you want a college in Arizona or California, and you know you want a degree in business. Now how about if you know your grades are good but maybe not straight A’s? You can ask for colleges that are less selective. How about public or private? Do you want a faith-based institution or not? How about availability of housing? How about diversity on campus? You can create a profile of exactly what you are looking for and the site will pull college profiles that best match your criteria.

The profiles of each college have layer after layer of information. It starts with an “At a Glance” page with basic information like application deadlines, location, size, basic cost information, average financial aid packages, and average time to graduation.

Now head down deeper into the profile to find more information about deadlines, all the programs offered and what percentage of students are in each. The tab for “Campus Life” breaks down the student body by gender, ethnicity, living on campus or not, and whether they are part-time or full-time students. Campus clubs and groups are listed as well. Are you looking for an active LGBTQ organization? Maybe a Women’s Center, Veteran’s services, even on campus child-care, these and other resources are listed.

For students looking to transfer in there is a tab just for information specific to transfers. This page tells what the average GPA admitted is, what is required with the application, as well any special requirements for transfers. Each profile also has a link directly to the official college website.

Those who have created an account can “Add to My Colleges” and create a list of profiles that will be saved. Users can create side-by-side comparisons of colleges on their saved lists.

Big Future is a great place to start a college search. But it especially shines at getting users more specific information to narrow a college search to a perfect match for them.

Review by Sarah Way, SWC Librarian

Website of the Week

 
Pew Research Center – Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Want to know
…social media trends in 2018?
…about public confidence levels in the Mueller investigation?
…how the U.S. views Pope Francis?
…marital status, broken down by religion, of the U.S. population?
…recent trends in motherhood and family size?

These and many, many more reports can be found in the Pew Research Center. The site is current and credible. All the sources of information are well documented and objective.

If you are writing a paper or making a presentation on a current events issue, from politics to religion to social media, I highly recommend that you check out this website. It has interesting, timely reports which are easy to read and usually have excellent infographics that will grab your attention and convey a point.

From their own words: "Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. We conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. We do not take policy positions.”

So, whether for academic purposes or just to be an informed member of society, head on to the Pew Research Center. Lots of valuable information is waiting for you.

Review by Laura Galvan-Estrada, SWC Librarian

What are ballot measures? What do they mean for you?

Ballot Measures Database

The Ballot Measure Database is part of the much larger National Conference of State Legislatures website. This database "includes all statewide ballot measures, starting over a century ago" from all types of state elections: General, Primary, and Special.

New ballot measures are added to the database when they qualify to be listed on a state's ballot. They are marked "Pass" or "Fail" as soon as election results are available. Browse by State and/or Topic and limit by date. This is a very useful site for anyone interested in locating state issues that have appeared on a state ballot in the last 100 plus years.

Here is an example of recent ballot measures in California in the areas of drugs/alcohol/ and tobacco policy (Source: NCSL):

Cigarette Tax Increase Amendment

Proposition 56

Election: General - 2016
Type: Initiative
Status: Pass (Yes votes: 62.9% unofficial)
Topic Areas: Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Policy | Health | Tax & Revenue

Summary: Click for Summary

Increases cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with equivalent increase on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes containing nicotine. Allocates revenues primarily to increase funding for existing healthcare programs; also for tobacco use prevention/control programs, tobacco-related disease research and law enforcement, University of California physician training, dental disease prevention programs, and administration. Excludes these revenues from Proposition 98 funding requirements. If tax causes decreased tobacco consumption, transfers tax revenues to offset decreases to existing tobacco-funded programs and sales tax revenues. Requires biennial audit.

---

Legalization of Marijuana for Adults Over 21

Proposition 64

Election: General - 2016
Type: Initiative
Status: Pass (Yes votes: 55.8% unofficial)
Topic Areas: Business & Commerce | Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Policy | Tax & Revenue

Summary: Click for Summary

Legalizes marijuana and hemp under state law. Designates state agencies to license and regulate marijuana industry. Imposes state excise tax on retail sales of marijuana equal to 15% of sales price, and state cultivation taxes on marijuana of $9.25 per ounce of flowers and $2.75 per ounce of leaves. Exempts medical marijuana from some taxation. Establishes packaging, labeling, advertising, and marketing standards and restrictions for marijuana products. Allows local regulation and taxation of marijuana. Prohibits marketing and advertising marijuana to minors. Authorizes resentencing and destruction of records for prior marijuana convictions

Website of the Week

California Center for Jobs and the Economy 

http://centerforjobs.org/profiles/ 

The California Center for Jobs and the Economy has expanded its interactive data visualization tool, “Data Profiles,” to include U.S. congressional districts.

Users can now obtain quick facts on the state of local economies for congressional districts. In addition, there are breakouts by county, assembly and senate districts, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) regions, and workforce regions. The tool provides information on unemployment, labor force participation, industrial categories, and basic demographics.

Review by Tanya Carr, SWC Librarian

Website of the Week

Global Net Neutrality Coalition

https://www.thisisnetneutrality.org 

The Global Net Neutrality Coalition is a collaborative initiative from over 35 worldwide organizations that joined forces to define universal net neutrality as such: "Net neutrality requires that the Internet be maintained as an open platform, on which network providers treat all content, applications and services equally, without discrimination."

The website can be translated into 15 other languages and features a map with the color coded net neutrality status of each country and more information of its laws when clicked on.

With Net Neutrality often being misunderstood and the FCC moving to repeal it soon, this serves as an informational starting point, as well as a guide on ways to advocate for it via the Model Network Neutrality Framework section. This particular section includes a 'Definitions' area that describes helpful terms (some we may even be familiar with but don't know the exact definition, such as 'internet traffic') to better understand how the internet works.

Review by April Ibarra Siqueiros, SWC Librarian

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.

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

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 ​