World Book Online: Start Here

Did you know you can access the encyclopedia World Book Online through the Reference subject area in the Research Databases section of our website?

Encyclopedias can be an invaluable starting point for finding information about a particular topic. For example, let’s say you are writing about how family-life has changed over time for a sociology class. Using the article in World Book titled “Family” will allow you to learn about changes in the family-unit from ancient times through today in just a few pages, but don’t stop after reading the encyclopedia article! From there, the specific topics covered in the article can be used to search for more in-depth information in books and articles.

Wikipedia can be used in the same fashion. When using Wikipedia the citations at the end of each article are particularly useful for finding more information on the topic. Just make sure you check with your instructor about what types of resources are appropriate for your assignment.

Online Lectures from People Smarter than Us

It is all about the Videos on Delicious!

Your CPCC librarians have gathered a whole host of websites that feature “Smart People” talking, teaching and thinking about a variety of topics.

Start with Harvard and watch a series of video lectures on computers and the internet from instructor David Malan at Harvard Extension. The course “Understanding Computers and the Internet” arms students with a new vocabulary and readies them for further exploration of computers and the Internet. Topics include hardware, software, the Internet, multimedia, security, website development, programming, and dotcoms. This course is designed both for those with little, if any, computer experience and for those who use a computer every day. The videos of the lectures are available in QuickTime or flash formats. Oh, and did I mention- they are FREE.

Or maybe all that Ivy league is leaving you itching for something a little more down to earth- How about the fabulous selection of videos on Monkeysee.com? MonkeySee offers free access to a huge collection of videos produced by experts on topics ranging from how to create the perfect zombie make-up, how to improve your handwriting, to topics like personal finance and general health. Each video is preceded by a 30 second ad, but the site requires no registration or fees to view the videos.

Visit the Stanford Health Video Library to watch free programs featuring prominent doctors presenting the latest health research.

In a healthy mood now? Watch videos from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Topics include HIV, Swine Flu, Swimming Safety, Weight Gain and Weight Control, Immunizations and more. Easily embed the videos in your course or webpage with the provided embed code. And great for use in the classroom; PDFs of the scripts are provided with each video.

Want more smart people to learn from? Take a look at Fora.TV. This website offers an impressive array of speakers, thinkers, politicians, writers and more. ForaTV gathers the web’s largest collection of unmediated video drawn from live events, lectures, and debates going on all the time at the world’s top universities, think tanks and conferences and publishes it online for you to watch, learn and share. The coolest thing about the videos on ForaTV is the variety of ways you can enjoy the presentations. Each program offers a link to the full length lecture in addition to several shorter highlight clips. Many of the videos offer transcripts as well as Bios of each presenter.

So far your CPCC library has 27 different video sites selected for your lifelong learning pursuits… and we are adding more each day- check out what the web has to offer.

Plunkett Research Online — Free Trial

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CPCC Library is reviewing Plunkett Research Online. The free trial is available to students, faculty, and staff through November 7th.

From their website:

“Only Plunkett Research Online takes you directly to industry-specific research portals for the most important business sectors, from energy to e-commerce and retailing to banking. Within each Industry Center, you will find exceptional tools to help you with business and industry research, including:

• Market research & trends analysis
• Glossaries of industry terms
• Industry statistics & charts
• Profiles of thousands of industry-leading companies, including public and privately held firms.
• Company contact export features
• Industry associations and organizations
• Complete key word searches”

Associates Programs Source Plus — Free Trial

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In order to better serve the information needs of the college CPCC Library is reviewing a database from EBSCOhost called Associates Programs Source Plus. Using this database students, faculty and staff can view full-text articles from over 1,700 magazines and journals through November 20th, 2009.

According to EBSCOhost, Associates Programs Source Plus “…is designed specifically for the research needs of two-year colleges, and provides comprehensive coverage of the most relevant associates program level content. The database covers subjects as wide-ranging as: alcohol & drug abuse counseling, audiology, biotechnology, computer & data processing, CAD, cosmetology, electrical technology, fashion design, forensics, graphic arts, health information technology, interior design, law enforcement & criminal justice, paralegal studies, robotics, travel & tourism, veterinary assisting, and dozens more equally varied areas of study.”

Science eBook Collection: Free Trial until October 30th

CPCC Library has trial access to the Springer eBook collection and we would like to extend the invitation to the rest of the college. CPCC students, faculty and staff can view 30,000 science, technical, and medical related eBooks through SpringerLink until October 30th, 2009.

Access SpringerLink Now
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Note: Make sure to select a content type. This can be done before searching (see the example below) or from the search results page.

Free Online Test Preparation and Skill Building

LearningExpress Library offers many options to help you practice for a variety of tests. The site even has over 150 eBooks available for download in PDF format.

From their site — “Whatever your goal, LearningExpress Library’s resources will help you succeed. Each of our Learning Centers offers the practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, and information you need to achieve the results you want—at school, at work, or in life. Looking to land a job? You’ll find an entire Learning Center dedicated to helping you get the one that’s right for you.”

To access this valuable resource head to Research Databases and LearningExpress Library will be listed under Popular Databases.

Online Resources for Business

CPCC Library offers many credible resources that you can access from the comfort of your home computer. The items listed below, and more, can be found in the Research Databases section of the website in the Business and Economics section.

Business Source Premier
Includes magazine and journal articles on many business related topics. Also inlcudes company profiles, industry reports, country reports, and market research reports.

MorningStar Investment Research Center
This useful database has detailed information on stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Reference USA
Think of Reference USA as the Yellow Pages on steroids. RefUSA gives detailed profile information on national and local companies including sales volume, number of employees, and business expenditures. Using the custom search feature you can perform a search for specific types of businesses within a defined radius.

I Love My Librarian Award

If you think your favorite librarian deserves an award… submit a nomination at http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/home.cfm for the 2009 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. This award recognizes your librarian’s efforts to improve the lives of people in his/her community. If selected, he/she will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times. Nomination deadline is October 9, 2009.

Open Houses at Campus Libraries 08/24 – 08/27

Start your semester off right! Come meet your campus librarians at Cato, Levine, Harper, Harris or North during the week of August 24-27, and enter a drawing to win great door prizes! Please be sure to bring your valid CPCC ID card to be eligible to receive some fun prizes and goodies that we have for you. Students and employees are all welcome!

United Way & Library Scholarship Fundraiser Book Sale

We want your unwanted and/or unused items! Beginning Monday, August 17th the CPCC Libraries will begin accepting new and gently used books, CDs, audio books and videos (DVDs) for the upcoming annual United Way and Library Scholarship fundraiser book sale. Donations may be dropped off at any campus library location during the hours the library is open until Friday, August 28th. All items should be in resalable condition.

The book sale will be held on the Central Campus, Hagemeyer Learning Resources Center, September 2nd and 3rd from 8:00a.m. to 2:00p.m.

In the past, all proceeds from the sale benefited the United Way. However, this year we are excited to announce that proceeds will also help support the newly formed Library Scholarship Fund. In these tough economic times, your donations and/or financial contributions are a great way to help those in need, especially our students. For more information regarding this worthy cause please contact Theresa.Thompson@cpcc.edu.