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Spring Semester 2013!

Welcome back if you’ve been here!

If you’re new, here are some handy research tips:

Search nearly all of our database, as well as our catalog, in one spot with Summon
Check out back issues of the Campus Ledger, our very own award winning student paper
See some research done by your professors as well as fellow students in ScholarSpace. Make sure you look at the JCCC Honors Journal while you’re there.
Need assignment help or just want to see some possible areas of interest? Visit our LibGuides.

Glad to see all of you! Follow us here, on Twitter, or Facebook to keep up on library events and news! Have a good semester, guys.

Welcome back! Let’s get research started a little better

Welcome to JCCC, everybody! If you’ve been here before, we’re glad you’re back. If it’s your first time, the library would like to apologize before anyone else about the parking. It affects everyone from faculty to students, so we feel your pain.

That being said, why don’t we focus on some things we’ve made easier? Like research! With so many resources available here, it can be daunting to check each one individually. So why not check most of them all at once?

BOOM! Summon! We’re really excited about this product, so we encourage you to check it out right here.

SUMMON

Let us know what you think after you give it a spin! We’re excited about it and still improving it. We’d love your feedback!

Interested in a veterinary career? This book will help

sweet cat, bro

Test prep books are, pretty obviously, useful for people gearing up for the appropriate test. However, many people find them useful well before then!

Take, for example, the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE). This week’s book, Master the VTNE, was made to prepare you for the big exam all Vet Techs will have to pass, but anyone with an interest in a veterinary career, or perhaps interested in the differences between being a Vet Tech and a Veterinarian, might find this informative. Who knows, maybe it will persuade them to get on the track that will eventually lead them to this test!

We have plenty of test preparation resources, from nursing to dentistry, to GRE exams; some books, some digital (like Learning Express Library). If you’re interested in any of these careers or exams, don’t hesitate to contact us.

JCCC Honors Journal has released a new issue

The JCCC Honors Journal, a publication of exceptional student work at JCCC, is back with a new edition. You’ll find it right here, and I think it’s one of the finest projects the library is honored to be associated with. The hard work of the students, their faculty advisors, and Honors Program Facilitator, Pat Decker, makes this a quality publication.

So check it out! This issue’s topics range from a veteran’s experience coming back from Afghanistan to different forms of Japanese textile. With such diverse knowledge being shared, there’s likely something for everyone!

Get a jump start on research with LibGuides

We keep on making guides, and keeping our older ones current. LibGuides let us deliver comprehensive information on specific topics (like this Autism guide), give brief walkthroughs on products (like this guide on finding nursing articles (with video!)) or keep you up-to-date on what the library’s up to (like this New Books guide).

Check them out as a good starting point for research papers, and never hesitate to contact us with suggestions to improve them, or topics you might want us to cover!

Using tech in the classroom effectively

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking Twitter or robot arms: there’s a way to use technology appropriately, and way to really screw it up. You want to have engaging communication between professors and students, but no one want to get overloaded, or have communications turn into a Kardashian-esque spam/gossip/lulz fest.

Or even worse, accidentally make Skynet.

Today’s book discusses ways to use social media and emerging technologies effectively in the classroom, creating meaningful uses and relationships when sharing information and taking full advantage. The Professor’s Guide to Taming Technology focuses on the technologies, the different learner groups (generational, etc.), and what technologies may develop in the future. It’s recommended for professors looking to incorporate emerging media into their classes. It is also useful for students who may be a little behind on the tech side, but might want to find out what may be coming soon to their classrooms.

Welcome back to JCCC!

Glad to see you’re at JCCC this year, and we at Billington Library hope you use us to the best of your ability. Here are some things to check out when using us:

Study rooms – Group study rooms have been added to the second floor
Roving Reference – Occasionally, you might see a librarian wondering around with an iPad. We’re experimenting with taking the help to you. While it won’t always be occurring, let us know if you see us and need help!
Megadesk – All DVDs, CDs, books, reserve materials, and ID creation take place at Megadesk! Though that’s not its official name, it is undeniably mega.
Reference desk – If you need help locating materials, finding articles, or any other research, the Reference desk will have a librarian ready to help you find what you need.
Alternative reference – You can talk to us on Twitter @JCCLIB; fan us on Facebook; or contact us via chat, phone, or email.

Today’s book could’ve been called, “Watch the Throne”

Sociologists study the weirdest things, and this collection of research follows the awkward politics of bathroom behavior. User anxiety, eye contact, waiting in line: so many things from interaction to gender segregation are governed by unspoken social agreements. Editors Harvey Molotch and Laura Noren compile research and essays evaluating what rules exist, what happens when they’re broken, and why they were even there in the first place.

Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing is great for people interested in sociology, psychology, or people who loathe using public restrooms.

Round 2 with Millennials

The generation known as Millennials (roughly, those born between 1982 and the late 90s) were already examined by authors Morley Winograd and Michael Hais (not to be confused with Michael “PS” Hays), when they predicted they would change the way American politics worked. After that prediction seemed to come true following the 2008 elections, they figured they’d take a second look at them.

Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation is Remaking America attempts to go beyond the influence on politics and into things like business, technology, education, and entertainment. Not mere observations, the authors use current data to support their findings. It should be an interesting look for those interested in generation studies, politics, or social sciences.

AIDs, beginning to present

The back page description for this book reminds us that people have only known about AIDs for about 30 years. Given it’s global impact, that’s pretty amazing. Jacques Pepin’s book, The Origins of AIDs, looks its initial spread from chimps to humans, and then how it rapidly infected people by many different means. One of the worst culprits in its spread was actually a massive vaccination program meant to prevent a different epidemic.

This book is a valuable read for anyone from those concerned with the current state of Africa to anyone in a health related field, and is available now on our new book shelf.