REF -- Interesting Site for Statistical Information

LII.org added a really interesting site recently. The site is Pew ResearchCenter

I poked around a bit and found information about many of the topics our students write about semester after semester.
Statistical information about same sex marriage dated 07/11/07
Statistical information about immigration issues (lots of it)

And more. Take a look!

ALL - Upcoming Donation?

We have been offered a sizeable (what size? we don't know) collection of music cds and some movies (what format? we don't know)

As with all donations, we will be taking them with the understanding that if they will benefit the collection we will add them and if they do not we will give them to another organization or put them in the sale bins. What does this mean for us? We get to catalog and process them! Yeah!

Just thought you guys would like to know what may be coming down the line ... Sounds really good? Huh?
Dana

REF -- New Reference Titles

Thanks to Don's excellent selection we put out several new reference titles recently. Here is some information about 2 of the titles shelved this morning.

Human Rights and the World's Major Religions -
REF BL65.H78 H8595 2005 v 1-5
Awards:
CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles, 2006

Reviews:
Raising important issues about religion and human rights, this clearly written set is not only worthwhile for advanced students but also accessible to mature high school students. Highly recommended for both public and academic libararies. —Library Journal December 2005

This ambitious and valuable reference work examines the history of human rights from the perspective of the world's five major religious traditions. A recognized, distinguished expert in a specific religion prepared each volume; all of the authors' credentials demonstrate a focus on human rights or ethical studies....This set will be indispensable to those researching human rights in religion, as it pulls together important elements of the topic previously unavailable in a single reference work. Essential. Academic libraries serving lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. —Choice January 2006

[T]his series provides a remarkable contribution to the field of human rights. It involves primary readings and meticulous bibliographies that open doors to further study. Readable, interesting and wide-ranging, this set will be a crucial resource in human rights discourse for years to come. —Science & Theology News June 2006

In a world where religion so often divides, it is hard to find agreement on so volatile an issue as human rights, but the authors of this five-volume series have done a remarkable job. —MultiCultural Review Spring 2006

These volumes are useful for the casual reader since each volume is carefully outlined and indexed to allow for quick location of specific topics. Especially interesting and potentially useful are the biographical sketches of Christian leaders in human rights. —PERSPECTIVES on Science and Christian Faith March 2006

Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History - REF TT957.S46 2006

Reviews:
To many, hair is a reflection of personal style. It is also a signifier of class, gender, ethnicity, and even power. In this resourceful A-to-Z, Sherrow explores the impact of hair styles and their implications in various cultures throughout history. The essay-length entries, accompanied by black-and-white photos as well as a full-color photo insert, cover everything from celebrity hair (e.g., "the Rachel") and the hair care business (e.g., "Vidal Sassoon") to disorders (e.g., "dandruff") and organizations (e.g., "Locks of Love"). —Library Journal April 15, 2006

This work by Sherrow wins the "browsability" award, for both its topic and its eye-catching cover. As the only current reference book on hair, it will certainly find a place on many library shelves. Global in scope, its coverage includes biographical information (Max Factor, Elizabeth I), ethnicities and countries (African Americans, China), hairstyles (the bob, dreadlocks), and other hair-related entries (dandruff, hairpins)....[i]t provides a good first stop and a lengthy bibliography on the topic of hair. Recommended. Academic and beauty-related collections serving lower-level undergraduates, two-year technical program students, practitioners, and general readers. —Choice September 2006

Hairstyles reflect cultural, religious, and political beliefs; social status; occupation; health; and other key aspects of life. In her introduction to the universal preoccupation with hair grooming, Sherrow overviews scientific facts about hair, its social meaning, and the hair products industry. Cross-referenced entries from "adornment, ornamental" to "Zotos, International" include historical-cultural context, trends, trendsetters, b&w and some color illustrations, and further reading. This unique reference includes an extensive bibliography. —Art Book News Annual January 2007

Anyone interested in hair fashion and treatment, either as it immediately affects them or from the perspective of a historical period or a different ethnic group will learn from this book. —Reference Reviews March 2007

[T]he Encyclopedia of Hair is a useful starting point for research on this multidisciplinary topic....[t]he Encyclopedia of Hair covers a bald spot in reference collections in academic, public, and vocational school libraries. —Reference & User Services Quarterly Winter 2006

ALL -- So You Think You've Been Busy?

YOU HAVE! I have been looking at the statistics for circulation and reference comparing October 06 to October 07.

Laptop circulation is up 125% from last year. The total circ for laptops in October 07 was 1070! But it's not just the laptops. Circulating books are up 37%, Video circ is up 312% for a total of 99 video circs. Reserves are up 84% to 308 circs. Headphones and equipment are up from 14 in '06 to 201 in '07.

And it's not just circulation, reference is up from last year. Reference desk reference (short and long) are up 50% from last year. Class orientations are up from 6 classes / 69 students in '06 to 20 classes / 378 students in '07.

So the reason you have been feeling tired is because we've been working hard serving the students and faculty of Gavilan College. Well done ... from your humble co-worker!! Dana

ALL - Student Computers and "Extra" Software

From time to time we have loaded specialized software on the Library Student Computers. This is a list of software currently which computers.

Spanish Practice Program: 000-005 (six computers along the wall)
Final Draft: 006 (computer on the left facing reference)
QuickBooks: 009-110 (two computers on the right facing reference)

New wallet-sized library cards

I just wanted to write down what I heard from Dana regarding our new wallet-sized library cards:

Patrons can replace their keychain-sized card with a wallet one if they bring in the old card and do a direct swap. Delete the old card number and either throw it away or put back in the box to use again (depending on condition).

If a patron has lost their card and wants the new one to be wallet-sized, they still need to pay the standard $1 replacement fee.

Please let me know if I got anything wrong!

New Books

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone,

There's some new material on our New Book Shelf, don't forget to take a browse.

Cris

ALL -- New Books

Attention all Staff: once again we have new material on our New Book Shelf, please check it out:

New Books

ALL -- After countless rolls of book tape and white out...

the barcoding of the Reference section is finished!

ALL -- Office 2007 & Gavilan Students

Thanks to Saul in MIS we now have a solution to the problem of students coming in with documents created in 2007 not being compatible with our software! Tomorrow Diana will be loading a patch to our office software that will allow it to read and save documents created in the new version of office.

Yeah! This should definitely cut down on student frustration.

Dana

New Books

New Material
Check out our New Books: http://www.gavilan.edu/library/newbooks.html

ALL - Checking out Laptops

This is to put in writing our practice for looking up library card numbers for patrons.

We will continue to look up library card numbers for students that forgot their card with the exception of checking out laptops. Due to the high demand for laptops we will not add to the time it takes staff to complete these transactions by looking up Library card numbers.

So to summarize. Patrons that wish to check out library laptops must have their library card with them.

Thanks

ALL -- Magazine Issue Checkout

Good Morning!

This is to memorialize our magazine checkout policy. We now circulate all issues except the current issue and bound volumes of our print periodicals. The circulation staff will create a record and checkout the magazines on an as requested basis.

Thanks Everybody

ALL - Summer/Fall Schedule of Classes

As you all saw in your email last week the schedule of classes won't come out until May 15. Unfortunately registration start May 14! There are photocopies of the schedule up at admissions and of course, students can use the online schedule. In addition, I got us a copy of the photocopy of the schedule. It is available at the Reference Desk.

Please note: This is our only copy until the print schedules are delivered. Guard it well!

REF -- Library Online Class Orientations

Reference Staff:
The schedule has been set and published for the upcoming Online Class Orientations. They are set up in two groups.

• The first group is each of the last 10 days of class for those students taking early start summer courses.
• The second group is the first week of summer session for those students starting their online classes then.

The Sample Class is available to us all to demo the Moodle system if the students' classes are not yet available. I have placed a list of the 'students' enrolled in the sample class at the Reference Desk.

As in past semesters, if a student can not make it to a scheduled orientation and we have time, we will do orientations on a drop in basis.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the orientations or Moodle in general. Also please let me know if you have suggestions to improve the sample class to better facilitate the orientations.

ALL -- New Books

Hi everyone
I've changed over the books again, check out the New Book Shelf

Cris

ALL - New Books

New books and sound recordings have been added to the New Book Shelf.

Cris

ALL - Academic Research Studies?

Here's an interesting website about doing research in an academic library. Let me know what you think about the feasibility of letting these kinds of 'patrons' use the library...

http://www.millikin.edu/staley/peeps/

Dana :)

REF - New Reference Resources added

Don sent this great intro to two new sources that have just been added to our collection. Be sure to take a look. I'm adding the call numbers...

We have received two new reference tools that fill gass in our collection.One is the Oxford Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature in 4 volumes. It is the first comprehensive reference work in English providing detailed information on all aspects of children’s literature from the medieval period to modern times. It is current, with articles on digital libraries, crossover books, internet books, censorship and many other buzz topics. It has delightful illustrations. A typical entry, for example, Daniel Defoe includes biographical details, adaptations and a bibliography of further reading. It provides see also, for example, in this case, Adventure Books, Colonial Fiction and Robinsonnades whatever they are. Articles are signed. REF PN1008.5.O94 2006

The other title is The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, in 10 vols, which received a rave review in Choice. This is the 2nd ed. It is a Macmillan Thomson Gale publication. Besides offering good summaries of the lives and works of philosophers living and dead, it provides great summaries of complex topics, such as Utopias, Marxist Philosophy or the schools of Buddhism. There are see also references and bibliographies following the entry. REF B51 .E53 2006

ALL -- Interesting Contest

Here is a link to a blog post for a contest called "Pimp My Bookcart." There are some great entries here... Should we 'modify' some of our bookcarts?

http://www.overduemedia.com/blog.aspx?post=745

REF - New Hours

As you all know, we are now open M-Th 8-8 and Fridays 8-3. To accomodate the extra hours in statistic keeping, we are now using the Reference statistics sheet on the reference desk instead of the calendar. Each form holds 3 days of stats. Continue to use the calendar to track class and online orientations and textbook readability studies.

In the evenings, please total the stats at the end of the day. It helps if the totals are in red ink but not required!!!!

REF - Useful Websites by Subject

It's a new semester and a new chance to find dead links in the Useful Websites by Subject webpage! I have printed out a copy of the page and placed it in the yellow reference folder. Please work on this as you have time.

If you run across sites that should be included, add them and send an email to the rest of us so we can get to know the new source.

If the link is to another library page of links like the Government page that I found this morning, please print out that page and check those links as well.

Let me know if you have any questions
Dana