Category: Book of the Day

The Most Important Book You’ll Read Or Have Shouted At You

So there’s a lack of images in a lot of our new books, and not really a lot of new material.  Therefore, I’ve taken the liberty to plug one of the best books in our collection:

I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU!) by Stephen Colbert.  But perhaps reading isn’t your thing. That’s cool, we also have the audio version “as shouted by the author” (it says it right on the cover). I’ll confess to personally owning both versions of the book. Heck, I even have the book on my iPod, and when it is on shuffle, a short portion will pop up and keep me entertained.

Our catalog is up today! That’s the rumor going round! Of course, you can always check our Twitter feed to keep updated on these types of things as they occur.

A Book About F-Bombs!

Well, there’s really no getting around this title, is there? Author Christopher Fairman wrote an entire book about the history of the f-bomb, its origin and many uses, and how protecting it in the name of the First Amendment and free speech is essential. Even though I’m out of words to describe it, the book is well thought out and an interesting defense of the word from beginning to end.

Addressing Eating Disorders in the Book of the Day

Reports from campuses are saying that students are having a harder time not just financially, but also emotionally. Because of this, the rise in disorders or behaviors with stigmas attached means that we all need to understand what people around us might be going through.

One book, Demystifying Anorexia Nervosa by Alexander R. Lucas, can help people with friends, colleagues, students, loved ones, or those suffering from anorexia understand the science behind the disorder and separate it from myths or stereotypes about it. More importantly, the book can assist people in beginning the process towards recovery.

Campus Assessment: It’s On!

There’s a big push to implement assessment on this campus, and while you might think this only concerns faculty, students can play a very important part in this. How are we to know what we’re awful at without students letting us know? How can we tell what’s improving unless we know how bad it started?  Student input is so essential, and if you have any interest in what we’re trying to get done here, you can always flip through a book like Educational Assessment in the 21st Century.

Of course, if you’re a faculty member, these materials are critical to establishing a positive environment for assessment on campus.  For that, check out our LibGuides for a run-down on our material.

It’s Transportation… In the FUTURE!

Part of me doesn’t care what this book is about. If the future means I get an egg on wheels to whip around town, I’m so in. BUT the part of me that does care reveals that Reinventing the Automobile tackles the green aspects of future transportation as well as the ideas of city planning and overcrowded areas, providing examples of the need for a smaller, environmentally-friendly vehicle.  It’s awesome either way.

Green Up Your Roof!

Any of our students in a Sustainability-related class or with an interest in going green should check out Green Roof Construction and Maintenance. There’s a lot you can do to empower structures by making improvements to their tops, from harnessing energy to using greener materials.  Whether its improving your drainage system to full-on LEED-certified construction, this book can help you make a little or big difference.

It’s Intellectual Property Piracy!

People are taking artist’s music and illegally distributing it!!  That’s right, folks: people have been  copying sheet music for hundreds of years!

Piracy : The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates is actually a pretty awesome account of how sneak-thievery of intellectual property wasn’t born with Napster or other filesharing sites. This is a neat book for people interested in copyright and IP law, the tensions between creators and imitators, and what has been done to detour this for the last few hundreds of years. A pretty interesting thing to think about, no?

For All the Faculty Mentors and Mentees

You may be a faculty mentor, or perhaps have one.  My faculty mentor was awesome, and I hope yours is, too.  If you are on either side of this relationship and struggling for things to talk about or ways to handle it, check out our new book: Faculty Success Through Mentoring : A Guide for Mentors, Mentees, and Leaders. It’s probably for the best.

And mentees: make your mentor buy you coffee! A lot happens over coffee.

Second Chances: We’re All About Them

Look, we know that some people come to JCCC to rebuild from a past they’re not necessarily proud of.

That’s OK. In fact, I’m encouraged by every single student that walks through our door hoping to make their life better.

So let’s say you’ve got a few marks on your legal record. Part of the social contract is that when you’re out, we as an institution don’t really care about what has happened; it’s our job to get you back on your feet.

It is why we have books like Best Jobs for Ex-Offenders.  If you, a friend, or a loved one is in what sports teams call “The Rebuilding Phase,” then it might be worth figuring out what career paths JCCC can lead you to. Flipping through this book will hopefully help you realize that the scope of a professional future aren’t as narrow as it may seem.