Month: March 2011

Learn how to take advantage of RSS feeds

 

Do you follow blogs or news sites for class? Maybe you use journal databases for assignments or research? All of these sources and more can be sent to you instantly upon updating if you take advantage of their RSS feeds.

In today’s book RSS for Educators: Blogs, Newsfeeds, Podcasts, & Wikis in the Classroom, the author John G. Hendron shows how utilizing a reader can assist teachers in keeping their classes fresh and how to simplify research.

But you don’t have to be a teacher just to get use out of this: students would be wise to see all the ways they can keep up with course-related information. This book should be of interest for teachers and students, particularly distance learning, interactive media, classes that have heavy research or discussion of current events, or anyone looking to incorporate technology into the classroom.

Let’s go into the world of high fashion

Amongst those considered to be the most elite in the world of clothing design, the idea of couture in fashion involves the best of the best pushing their craft to it’s most (extreme, and sometimes extremely odd) realized form. In Couture in the 21st Century, compiled by writer Deborah Bee and photographer Rankin (of course he only has one name), you’ll see some of the most famous fashion designers’ most extreme work. Tucked in with the pictures, you’ll also find essays from famous fashion personalities like Oscar de la Renta, discussing where the clothing world is heading.  This is a great resource for fashion students, art students, and fans of design in general

Shocking true crime in today’s featured book

Adam Walsh (now of Code Adam fame) was a 6 year old boy when he was kidnapped from a  Sears and eventually decapitated. Maybe one of the most famous child abduction cases, it led his father to create and host America’s Most Wanted, created new department store safety protocols for children, and was finally solved 25 years after the fact.

Bringing Adam Home is a true account of that painful 25 year process, of dedication to pursuing justice even when all positive outcomes have been eliminated. Author Les Standiford collaborates with Detective Joe Matthews, who worked the Adam Walsh case for years, to bring a comprehensive telling of the long journey of finding justice.  For readers with an intrest in true crime, child advocacy, forensics, law, and general non-fiction.

The newest issue of the JCCC Honors Journal is out

See some of our finest students’ works in the newest issue of the JCCC Honors Journal. Each semester, students participating in the Honors Program have the opportunity to submit their semester-long Honors project for inclusion into the journal. Topics range from religious themes in historic art, to how congenital heart disease affects the care people receive when patients move into adulthood.  Check out the articles and support the great work of our students.

Some very short introductions: the series!

Sometimes, you just need a jumping point.  Enter a new series acquired, A Very Short Introduction.  If you’re ever in need of a good place to start, these small books probably have you covered. From 18th Century Britain, to Ghandi, to WWI, to Ronald Reagan.

Currently, if you’d like to check out the entire series, it’s on the Second Floor on the New Item display case, across from the checkout desk. In a few weeks, they’ll all be shelved according to appropriate subject, in call number order, with the general collection.

All of the new items are also coming across our New Item RSS feed, updated every day there’s new material added. Or, search our catalog for “A Very Short Introduction” in quotes.

Let’s build some iPad web apps

 

We have a fairly sizable group of people taking classes based around web development, interactive media, computer science… but I’m sure there are plenty of people who are hobbyists as well. With that in mind, here’s a how-to book, Beginning iPhone and iPad Web Apps : Scripting with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. This is a book for those looking to make sites that look good and flow well on Apple devices, but not necessarily building App Store apps. By taking advantage of the latest versions of HTML and CSS, web developers can actually make some slick design choices to build sites that use your mobile browser to recreate the way a lot of apps feel.  This is a good book for anyone running a website that wants a solid mobile version of their site, for design students, or for anyone with an interest in interactive and mobile media.