The University of California Press provides free access to over 700 titles of its e-Book collection to the general public. The books in this collection were published from 1982-2004. Topics covered include art, science, history, music, religion, and fiction. Accessing these titles is easy. Simply go to the following URL: http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/. From this site, you can browse by author, title, or subject. Select the “Browse Public” option and you will receive immediate access to the e-Books!
Friday, February 21, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
A Friendly Face
I attended a webinar yesterday on the topic of how college libraries influence student’s first year experiences. The webinar format isn’t my favorite way of interacting with people, but when several people gather to attend the webinar together there is often an exchange of ideas during and after the session. One of the other attendees at yesterday’s webinar was a new instructor in our Comprehensive Studies Department, who used to be a TCTC student. I recognized him as a former student when he started working here at the beginning of fall semester, because he’d been in the library seemingly every day back then.
One concept that the webinar touched on was that students may not realize that besides knowing how to find academic information for assignments, the librarians know a lot about how the college itself functions. A study of first year college students found that they have contact with their parents an average of 13.4 times per week – just under twice a day. Often, these contacts occur when students need guidance about “how the college functions” – where they should go for financial aid assistance, what to do if their academic advisor isn’t available, when to schedule classes for next semester, etc., etc., etc. Many of our students are the first in their families to attend college, and their parents might not know the answers to these questions.
After the webinar, the new instructor/former student said that when he was here as a student, he’d realized that not only were the librarians friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, they were also THERE ALL THE TIME. Think about this: There is not much employee turnover at an academic library. If students can make a connection with a librarian early in their first year, that person is likely to be available to them for the remainder of their attendance at that college. Librarians are an untapped resource for many first year experience programs, but here at TCTC we are taking an active role in the integration of library skills and personnel in our Learning Communities. And with the required library workshops in all 100-level English classes, our students have the opportunity to connect with a friendly face that can help with much more than just research assignments.
By, Sue Andrus
One concept that the webinar touched on was that students may not realize that besides knowing how to find academic information for assignments, the librarians know a lot about how the college itself functions. A study of first year college students found that they have contact with their parents an average of 13.4 times per week – just under twice a day. Often, these contacts occur when students need guidance about “how the college functions” – where they should go for financial aid assistance, what to do if their academic advisor isn’t available, when to schedule classes for next semester, etc., etc., etc. Many of our students are the first in their families to attend college, and their parents might not know the answers to these questions.
After the webinar, the new instructor/former student said that when he was here as a student, he’d realized that not only were the librarians friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, they were also THERE ALL THE TIME. Think about this: There is not much employee turnover at an academic library. If students can make a connection with a librarian early in their first year, that person is likely to be available to them for the remainder of their attendance at that college. Librarians are an untapped resource for many first year experience programs, but here at TCTC we are taking an active role in the integration of library skills and personnel in our Learning Communities. And with the required library workshops in all 100-level English classes, our students have the opportunity to connect with a friendly face that can help with much more than just research assignments.
By, Sue Andrus
Monday, February 3, 2014
Learning Communities
At
Tri-County Technical College, Learning Communities (LCs) are being offered on a
regular basis in many different formats. As faculty/staff, we need to promote
these opportunities for successfully learning whenever possible. LCs offer an
environment in which students learn on a deeper level are more socially
engaged, as well as more apt to persist through college and beyond. The types
of LCs offered at TCTC are thematic (emphasizing a particular topic or theme,)
integrated (an academic course infused with COL 105 principles,) or linked (one
or more academic course linked with COL 105 or two or linked academic course
embedded with COL 105 principles). Recent studies have shown that while all LCs
afford our students the opportunity for increased collegial success; linked LCs
appear to allow for student success as well as persistence. Those interested in
LCs should contact Amoena Norcross (646-1365 or anorcros@tctc.edu). Make your students
aware of these advantages so that they are able to take full advantage of what
LCs have to offer!
Written by Alydia Sims
Written by Alydia Sims
Friday, January 24, 2014
Curriculum Mapping
The TCTC library subscribes to a database called AccessScience! This database provides a wealth of information to both students and faculty members. For faculty members, curriculum maps were recently created. Curriculum maps are designed to guide faculty to highly relevant and engaging content for college courses. They take popular subject matter, for example chemistry, and break it down into subtopics.
Each subtopic then links to information within AccessScience! Tables, graphs, diagrams, photos, animations, and videos are linked via these curriculum maps for faculty members. Presently, AccessScience! has curriculum maps for the following topics: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computing Databases, Discrete Mathematics, Engineering Structural Analysis, and Physics. A sample curriculum map can be found at this link http://www.accessscience.com/for-faculty/biology . Direct links can be created for students from this database, to provide easy access to the content.
The demands of providing quality content to students, in a manner that is attractive, requires the usage of databases that present information in fun, informative ways. AccessScience! is aware of the demands required by both universities and students. Its curriculum maps are one resource now available to faculty members, as they develop lessons that are both informative and attractive for today’s college students.
By Michele Gregg
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Library Hours and Closed Dates for 2014
| Library closed | |
| January 1, 2014 | New Year's Day |
| January 20 | MLK |
| May 26 | Memorial Day |
| July 4 | Independence Day |
| September 1 | Labor Day |
| November 4 | Fall Break |
| November 27-28 | Thanksgiving |
| December 23-Jan 1 | Christmas |
| Library Open 7:45 to 5 (Branches closed) | |
| Jan 2 and 10, 2014 | End of winter holiday |
| February 25 | Professional Development Day |
| March 17-21 | Spring Break |
| July 3 | July 4th holiday |
| July 28 to Aug 18 | No Classes |
| October 7 | Professional Development Day |
| November 3 | Fall Break |
| November 26 | Thanksgiving holiday |
| December 8 to 23 | Winter break |
Friday, January 10, 2014
Learning Express Library 3.0
Spring semester started with a new
and improved version of LearningExpress Library. LearningExpress Library 3.0
provides access to practice exams for test preparation, courses, and ebooks on
many vocational and academic topics. Enhancements to the product include
easy-to-use navigation, timed and untimed test modes, and individualized study
plans. It is also touch-enabled and tablet-ready for tablet users. In
preparation for the new 2014 GED Test, this product will also be updated to
meet the new specifications. To take full advantage of what this wonderful tool
has to offer, a user must create his free account. All that is needed is a
valid email address. A personal account creates a storage space for an
individual collection of selected learning materials. A user with his own
account can return to his materials via his personal account again and again
and continue where he left off.
Written by, Kultida Dunagin
Friday, December 6, 2013
Don't Panic!
For any readers who are Douglas Adams fans, the words “Don’t Panic!” will bring a smile of recognition. The phrase is an integral part of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series of books published beginning in the late 1970’s, but it is very fitting to use at this point in Fall Semester as well.
Library staff don’t really need to look at an academic calendar to know what week it is, since student traffic in the library is a reliable indicator that “it’s midterm” or “it’s the last week of classes” and students are frantically working to complete assignments and write papers. Many of these are (supposedly) semester-long projects, assigned by instructors weeks or months ago, but ignored by students till now. Instructors vent their frustration with students to us, wondering why students don’t see the benefits of working on something intermittently throughout the semester. Students also vent to us, wondering why instructors are so thoughtless and inconsiderate when making so many assignments due at the end of the term.
My advice to students is always some version of “Don’t Panic!” Often they just need someone to listen to them talk about feeling overwhelmed. Others need some organizational assistance, which might be the question, “Okay, what do you need to do first?” and some suggestions for what to include in a research paper. Still others realize, after hearing it come out of their mouth, that they are the ones to blame since they really have had fourteen weeks to work on the project and then, feeling sheepish, they buckle down and get it done.
My hope is that students remember this terrible panicky time NEXT semester, when the assignments are made and they think, “Hey, that’s not due till April! PLENTY of time!” Time management is one of those things learned in college that has wider applications than cell division, polynomial factoring, or the date and impact of the Magna Carta.
By, Sue Andrus
Library staff don’t really need to look at an academic calendar to know what week it is, since student traffic in the library is a reliable indicator that “it’s midterm” or “it’s the last week of classes” and students are frantically working to complete assignments and write papers. Many of these are (supposedly) semester-long projects, assigned by instructors weeks or months ago, but ignored by students till now. Instructors vent their frustration with students to us, wondering why students don’t see the benefits of working on something intermittently throughout the semester. Students also vent to us, wondering why instructors are so thoughtless and inconsiderate when making so many assignments due at the end of the term.
My advice to students is always some version of “Don’t Panic!” Often they just need someone to listen to them talk about feeling overwhelmed. Others need some organizational assistance, which might be the question, “Okay, what do you need to do first?” and some suggestions for what to include in a research paper. Still others realize, after hearing it come out of their mouth, that they are the ones to blame since they really have had fourteen weeks to work on the project and then, feeling sheepish, they buckle down and get it done.
My hope is that students remember this terrible panicky time NEXT semester, when the assignments are made and they think, “Hey, that’s not due till April! PLENTY of time!” Time management is one of those things learned in college that has wider applications than cell division, polynomial factoring, or the date and impact of the Magna Carta.
By, Sue Andrus
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