Melvil Dewey Library, JCC

How to use Google Scholar Library Link

2012-01-31T09:56:00.000-08:00

Google Scholar is a very useful tool for finding academic and legal information on the web. However, if you've ever used Google Scholar before, you probably noticed that the results returned after a search don't always include a full text resource, especially when it's a scholarly article.

What you may not know is that there is still a chance you can access that article through our library databases and you can simplify that search process by linking our library with Google Scholar. Once linked, whenever you search Google Scholar, a Find it! at JCC link will appear in the space to left of any article that can be accessed through our library databases.

Follow the steps in the slide show below to learn how to link our library in the Google Scholar preferences. Using google scholar library link

View more presentations from Carleen Huxley

New Premium Subscription to EasyBib

2012-01-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

The library now has a premium subscription to EasyBib.

EasyBib is an automatic bibliography composer and citation management tool. You may already be familiar with the free web version of EasyBib, but as a JCC student you can now access the premium version which has several more options and enhancements. Take a look at this brief introduction.

You may also be interested in our Citing Sources Research Guide.

New semester and new hours for the library

2012-01-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Spring semester! We hope everyone is having a wonderful first day!

We want you all to know that the library is here to help you make this semester a success. We would also like to announce that we have changed our hours slightly. We are now open from 7:30am to 8:00pm on Monday through Thursday, and 7:30am to 5:00pm on Friday. Basically, we're opening a half an hour earlier than before. So, if you have an 8:00am class, you'll have time to stop by the library to print out your paper, check out a book or just say hi to our staff, and still make it to class on time.

Our first day of the semester went well. It can get mighty quiet around here during the winter break so it was nice to experience all the activity again with students and faculty flowing in and out of the library. Here's a fun video of our student worker Maggie Shroads and student Ozula Sioux.

Faculty: Fall semester is upon us, get your library instruction requests in early!

2011-08-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Just quick reminder for our faculty, with the Fall semester inching its way closer, it's a good time to consider getting in those requests for library instruction now before the rush starts.

Review our Faculty Resources Libguide for details about how and who to contact for scheduling ( which is me. :-) Carleen Huxley, the Instruction Coordinator, x2402 or chuxley@sunyjefferson.edu). We are down to three librarians this year instead of four and although we plan to accommodate everyone best we can, we anticipate being busier this year than in years past.

Top 3 things to remember about scheduling library instruction:

Make sure you are allowing two weeks notice for each request.
We highly recommend looking at the instruction calendar to determine availability of class times before you make your request. It will help save some time communicating dates and times back and forth.
Consider filling out the instruction request form found on the Faculty Resources Libguide.
Remember to supply us with an assignment that directly relates to the instruction session. Past experience has consistently illustrated that students retain more information when they know they will be applying the information to a credit-bearing assignment.

Here's to another great year! :)

New Titles in the Media Center

2011-07-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the new DVD titles that were added to the Media Center's collection during the spring 2011 semester: The Informant! starring Matt Damon; Paris: The Luminous Years; Russia's War: Blood on the Snow; V for Vendetta starring Natalie Portman; Edgar Allen Poe; The Great Pi/e Debate; Raging Grannies: The Action League; Fundamentalist Fervor; Globalization at a Crossroads; Women's Rights; Sexual Stereotypes in the Media; Frontline Post Mortem: The Death Investigation Crisis; The Periodic Table for Students; New American Soldier; Inside the Killer's Mind (featuring an interview with Arthur Shawcross); and For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots.

All titles are available for viewing in the Media Center and selected titles may be borrowed by students for viewing at home.

Weeding project and library renovations

2011-05-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Some exciting stuff is happening at the library this summer. We recently started a massive weeding project, pulling books from our collection that haven't circulated in a long time and sending them to Better World Books.

We've had to stack part of our book collection in the library instruction room upstairs while the carpet is being replaced on the first floor. Given the amount of time and work the student workers have spent stacking these books, they've decided to rename the room "The Book Fort".

We've cleared all the shelves on the first floor and will soon be moving them out of the library so we can replace the carpet and, eventually sometime this summer, move in brand new furniture. By the time classes resume in August the first floor of the library will look very different! We can't wait and will keep you updated throughout the summer!

We want to send a very big thank you to our student workers who have been doing the bulk of the heavy work these past few weeks. Many of them have been here eight hours a day helping us shift shelves and move books.

In regard to library services and how the ongoing renovation will effect them, so far it appears that the library will remain open throughout the summer and that we will still have access to our collection. However, we will have to temporarily move our public computer out of the library while the carpet is being replaced. The computer lab will be available for students needing access to a computer during this time.

New Citation Resources

2011-05-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Exam Jam is in the library today, which means there's lots of students writing papers. We just got a new citation guide that might prove useful for students. Cite Right by the University of Chicago Press is a quick guide to the most well known citation formats, including MLA, APA, Chicago, the Science professions and more.


Cite Right from the University of Chicago Press

Don't forget our other online resources, such as our Citation Guide and the MLA citation guide created by the English department, Dare to Document.

Chris Crutcher Reception

2011-04-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we will be having a reception in the library for Young Adult author Chris Crutcher . Chris Crutcher has been writing novels for young adults since 1983. Sports are a common theme throughout his books and he never shies away from controversial yet important issues such as family violence, abuse, suicide, abortion.

The reception will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 on the second floor of the library.

"Crutcher takes teenagers seriously and cares about them. Readable, humorous, immediate and unforgettable, Crutcher's stories give hope to young adults struggling with the eternal questions of who they are and where they belong." ~ Joan Atkins, 2000 Chair of the YALSA Margaret Edwards Award

You can find several of Chris Crutcher's books in our young adult collection.

Angry Management

The Sledding Hill

King of the Mild Frontier

Deadline

Athletic Shorts

Ironman

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Stotan!


The Crazy Horse

Running Loose

Whale Talk

National Library Week Celebration April 11-15

2011-04-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

National Library Week is an annual celebration sponsored by the American Library Association. The purpose of National Library Week is to "celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support".

So, come help us celebrate libraries!

Monday - 12:20 to 1:15 Building with Books What can JCC Engineering students build out of our weeded books? The Booklyn Bridge? Bookhenge? The Tower of Bookylon?

Wednesday - 1:30 to 2:30 Young Adult Author Chris Crutcher Join author and champion for intellectual freedom Chris Crutcher for coffee and conversation. Chris will be at JCC all day speaking with classes and doing presentations. His visit to campus is sponsored by FSA, Social Cultural Committee, Humanities Department and Honors Program.

Friday - 5:00 to 7:00 Not So Quiet in the Library The JCC Rock band will rock the house at a party for campus community and local librarians. Refreshments provided. Sponsored by the Library, JCC Faculty Association, JCC Educational Support Professionals Association and Social Cultural Committee.

All Week Long

Trivia Contest Watch the Bulletin Board each day for a new chance to win prizes
Book Art Display by the JCC Renegade Artists Troupe Weeded books can have a new life as a work of art!

Google Body Browser

2011-02-15T14:06:00.001-08:00

Today several of our library staff attended a webinar about using tools developed by Google. One in particular caught our eye, a Google Lab application called Body Browser. This would be a particularly useful tool for students currently studying anatomy. One important note, however, is that it requires either Google Chrome or Firefox 4 as a web browser.

Melvil Dewey Lending Society and Book Exchange

2011-01-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of book swapping? Basically, the idea is to trade your already read books in for others you haven't read (there are even online book exchanges dedicated to this). We're happy to announce that our library now has a book swap, in the form of a humble bookshelf where you can come and drop off your old books and pick-up something new. We're calling it the Melvil Dewey Lending Society and Book Exchange. We've only had it available for about a week but already we've seen the collection grow!

10 Things you should know about the library

2011-01-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome back! Whether you are a new or returning student or faculty here at JCC, here's just a few things you might want to know about the library.

1) Library hours are Monday–Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m and Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

2) Contact us by phone, email or use our Ask a librarian chat service.

3) Take the Information Literacy Tutorial to learn the best way to conduct research using our library and internet resources.

4) Use our Citation Guide to learn how to cite your resources properly.

5) Looking for a book? Use our online catalog. We also have a growing collection of ebooks available. Note that if you are trying to access our ebooks from a computer not in the library, you will need to log in using your Active Directory username and password.

6) Use our online databases to find quality research material. Our databases provide you with access to scholarly journal articles, newspaper articles, popular and trade magazine articles and other quailty reference material. Remember, if you are trying to access our databases from a computer not in the library, you will need to log in using your Active Directory username and password.

7) Are you looking for a quiet area to study? Then head to the second floor of the library where our quiet study policy is strictly enforced. Need to do group work? Then hang out on the first floor, where we have large desks more ideal for group discussion.

8) If you plan to be checking out books regularly then you might want to take a peak at our Borrowing Policy.

9) If you are a faculty member and would like to learn more about our services regarding library instruction and placing items on reserve, see our Faculty Resource Guide.

10) We're here to help! Don't hesitate to call or stop by with questions! :-)

JCC Library Hours: Holiday Edition

2010-12-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

CC Image courtesy of Chris Jones
on Flickr

As the semester comes to a close, JCC Library hours will be changing:

Today we will be closing early at 7:00pm.

For the rest of the intercession the library will be open from 8:00am to 5:00pm (December 21st to January 21st).

In addition, the library will be closed on the following days in observance of the holidays:

December 23rd and 24th (Christmas)
December 31st (New Years)
January 17th (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)

We would like to wish you all a Very Merry Holiday and Happy New Year!

Children's Book Drive

2010-12-10T07:31:00.001-08:00

We would like to thank everyone who participated and donated books for the Literacy of Northern New York Children's Book Drive. Together we managed to collect a record 1061 books!

From left: Erin Desormeau (Criminal Justice Club, Secretary), Katina Piche (Criminal Justice Club, Vice President), Carleen Huxley (Assistant Librarian), Connie Holberg (Library Director), Cecilie Brock (LNNY Director)

New arrivals, just in time for Thanksgiving break!

2010-11-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Looking for a good read for the Thanksgiving break? Here's a few books that just came in. Find them in our new arrivals area on the first floor, under the staircase.

Do you NaNoWriMo?

2010-11-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It happens every year in November and brings together writing enthusiasts from all around the world who pledge to spend the month trying to complete a 50,000 word novel. Last year, there were 167,150 participants worldwide. This year NaNoWriMo is expected to have 175,000 participants.

If you are NaNoWriMo'ing this year then you're probably too busy writing to be able to read any books right now. :-) Regardless, we thought it would be helpful to put together a list of general resources, including books, blogs, websites and podcasts that might be of inspiration to any novel writing enthusiast.

Happy writing!

Books

Writing Tools
by Roy Peter Clark

The Pen Commandments
by Steven Frank

The Elements of Style
by Strunk and White

Spunk and Bite
by Arthur Plotnik

The Midnight Disease
by Alice W. Flaherty

The First Five Pages
by Noah Lukeman

Websites/Blogs

IndyPosted Top 10 Tips for NaNoWriMo

Write a Novel in a Month

Podcasts

Plan out your research papers/projects with Purdue's project timeline developer

2010-11-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

November is upon us. Here in the library, students seem to be consumed with research and preparing for end of the semester writing projects. One of the best ways to ensure a successful research project/paper is to plan ahead. We recently came across an online tool that may help with this. Purdue University Library's online tutorial has a project timeline developer. Just punch in your project start date, the day the project is due and the developer tool will create a project time line. Use it to decide how long you should spend on selecting/focusing your topic, gathering information on your topic and writing/revising your paper.

Read a book by a local author

2010-10-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

Did you know that we have a Delacorte Press Prize winning author living right near here in Sackets Harbor. E.M. Crane is her name and Skin Deep is the book. Find it on our shelves in the YA section of the library.

Rock Musician Biographies

2010-10-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

In honor of Joey Kramer's lecture tonight, we thought we would put together a list of rock musician biographies that we have available in our library collection.

Hit Hard: A story of hitting rock bottom at the top
by Joey Kramer
Review

I am Ozzy
By Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres
Review

Cobain unseen
by Charles R. Cross.
Review

Runaway dream : Born to run and Bruce Springsteen’s American vision

By Louis Masur
Review

Women singer-songwriters in rock : a populist rebellion in the 1990s Ronald D. Lankford Jr

Room full of mirrors : a biography of Jimi Hendrix

by Charles R. Cross.
Review

Search Strategies on the Web

2010-09-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Searching on the web can be tricky. When students attend our library instruction classes we talk a lot of about how to evaluate web resources. But what about actual search strategies? Here's a good video by CommonCraft.com that demonstrates how to best search the web to find the best information.

Faculty Library Tip: How to link a Libguide in your class on Blackboard

2010-09-09T13:36:00.001-07:00

This post is mainly for our JCC faculty. We've had several questions on how to add a link to a Libguide in your class on Blackboard. We've created a short video to demonstrate how to do this.

Requesting books

2010-09-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Is there a book you think we should order for the library? Let us know by filling out our new book request form.

We can't guarantee that every item requested will be purchased for the library. It all depends on our book budget and collection development practices.

Regardless, it is very important to us that we purchase books that you want and need, whether it be for a class project or simply for pleasure reading.

We usually purchase books on a monthly basis, and our September order is about to go in. Something you think we should get? Fill out the form and let us know.

Thomas Jefferson is Not Happy

2010-09-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

On the second floor of our lovely library is a lovely mural that was painted some years ago by some very talented JCC students.

We discovered a few days ago that someone had drawn a purple mustache and goatee on our very handsome depiction of Thomas Jefferson.

We would like to request kindly that folks don't vandalize our library in this way. Especially our lovely mural.

Thank you,

The Melvil Dewey Library Staff

We're open and...we have computers!

2010-09-07T15:41:00.001-07:00

The Melvil Dewey Library staff would like to extend a warm thanks to the JCC Instructional Technology Department for installing all of our public computers today.

We are now open and a fully functional library once again! Library hours for fall semester are as follows:

Monday-Thursday 8am to 8pm
Friday 8am to 5pm
Saturday and Sunday CLOSED

Library still closed for another week

2010-08-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

There are still some finishing touches to be done on the new windows being installed in our library building. Since it is still considered a construction zone, we've been asked to keep the library closed to the public for another week. We will officially open the day after Labor Day, Tuesday, September 7th. Our public computers may not be in place until later that week, however, you can still come in and access the rest of our library collection and find a quiet place to study.

So, yes, we are still closed to the public :(. But, the library staff are still here to help you? Need a book? We'll find it for you, check it out for you and deliver it to you elsewhere on campus. Have questions about our library databases? Call us at 786-2225.

Citation Guides

2010-08-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

When I was in school, I used to love doing research for a class paper (perhaps that's why I ended up being a librarian, go figure? :-). I have to admit that I didn't really enjoy writing the paper that much, but the part I absolutely hated the most was having to cite my resources. It was such a cumbersome process having to figure out exactly where those periods and commas were supposed to go, and exactly how to format my footnotes.

Citing your resources can be a tricky task at times, but it is extremely important to do so. It gives proper credit to the original creators/authors and also helps those who are reading your paper to follow your trail of research.

In order to help you with this task, we've created a Citation Libguide. This guide has links to books in our library collection and to resources online that will you better understand how to format your papers correctly using MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian or CSE format.

Sneak Peak at the library's new windows

2010-07-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Workers on the job replacing our old windows.

We think they look terrific!

~Carleen, Reference and Instruction Coordinator

Our temporary location

2010-07-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

When the library building closed down last month, the library staff moved their offices to the networking lab located on the basement floor of Building 5. Our temporary summer location has been a little chaotic but rather cozy, and as we found out this past week, kind of a blessing in disguise given that the basement is much cooler in the summer heat wave than the un-air conditioned library.

Our room is actually located next to the temporary offices for the Liberal Arts Department. You'll know which door is ours because we have the following sign taped to the front.

The idea to call it The Dungeon stems from a joke started by the library staff. We were moving from a building with lots of windows to a small room in a basement with no windows so we thought the name was very fitting.

As you can see from the following picture, things are a little tight in the networking lab but luckily, we all get along very well (and we all have our own pair of headphones).

Here's a picture of our Library Director, Connie Holberg. Since the move she's also been lovingly referred to as the Dungeon Master.

We want everyone to know that despite the ongoing construction and temporary office locations, the Melvil Dewey Library staff are still here, ready to help you with your information needs. Our services will be somewhat limited in the next few weeks but we intend to do everything we can to stretch our resources.

Even though the library building has been closed to the public since last month, Library staff have still had access. That will change as of next Tuesday, July 13. This is important to know since it means that we will no longer be able to obtain requested library items. So, if you are in the middle of a research project for a summer class and need library materials such as books, periodicals or media items, then please let us know by 4pm Tuesday, July 13. Library databases will of course, still be accessible as always.

To request items call us at 315-786-2225 or email us.

~Carleen, Reference and Instruction Coordinator

Secure your passwords

2010-07-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the most popular password used online is "123456"? The fifth most popular is "iloveyou" and the tenth most popular, "abc123".

What do all these passwords have in common? Insecurity! It would take a hacker less than three minutes to crack these passwords and gain entrance to someones personal account online.

Have I made you a little nervous about your own password? Try this nifty tool, How Secure is My Password? and see how long it would take a hacker to crack your password. I can't vouch for how accurate or scientific the tool is, but it does help give a rough idea of how good or bad a password might be (apparently mine would take them six days...I really thought it was more secure than that).

Better yet, watch this video by CommonCraft on how to create a secure password.

LifeHacker also has a few suggestions:

Randomly substitute numbers for letters that look similar. The letter ‘o’ becomes the number ‘0′, or even better an ‘@’ or ‘*’. (i.e. – m0d3ltf0rd… like modelTford)
Randomly throw in capital letters (i.e. – Mod3lTF0rd)
Think of something you were attached to when you were younger, but DON’T CHOOSE A PERSON’S NAME! Every name plus every word in the dictionary will fail under a simple brute force attack.
Maybe a place you loved, or a specific car, an attraction from a holiday or a favorite restaurant?
You really need to have different username/password combinations for everything. Remember, the technique is to break into anything you access just to figure out your standard password, then compromise everything else. This doesn’t work if you don’t use the same password everywhere.

The last suggestion, creating different usernames and passwords for every account, can be tricky. Especially considering all the social networking sites and online stores out there these days. You might want to try a Password Manager to help keep track them all. Or simply have a handful of passwords that you switch around on a regular basis.

~Carleen, Reference and Instruction Coordinator

Scirus: The Scientific Search Engine

2010-06-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Scirus is an internet search engine that returns only scientific information on the web.
Nifty trick: It's possible to find articles from our library databases by searching in Scirus. Just follow the screen shots below.

Step 1. Type in your keyword combination in the search box provided.

Step 2. All articles available in Science Direct will show a logo for the database.

Step 3. The article link will take you directly to the article in Science Direct

~Carleen, Reference and Instruction Coordinator

Library to close for construction on June 14

2010-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

The library will be closed for public access starting June 14th due to planned building renovation. We anticipated that the library will re-open again on August 23.

During the closing, computer/Internet access for students, faculty and staff will be available in the Computer Lab in Building 6 (Room 6-205) from 8am to 5:30pm.

There will be no computer/Internet access available on the JCC campus for community members during this time. We apologize for the inconvenience. Flower Memorial Library in Watertown provides Internet access for registered users.

Library staff will still be working regular summer hours in an effort to accommodate research and information needs, although our services and access to our physical collection will be limited. We will be moving our offices to a temporary location in the networking lab on the basement level of Building 5. You can still contact us via phone at 315-786-2225 and through email.

Ask a Librarian from your iPhone/iPod Touch , Palm or Android!

2010-05-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Our Ask a Librarian service has gone mobile! If you have an iPhone/iPod Touch, Palm or Android you can chat with a librarian 24/7 via our chat widget on our website. Just follow these directions.
1) From your phone go to Ask a Librarian webpage http://www.sunyjefferson.edu/library/ask.html
2) Now, normally when you go to this page from a computer you would see a chat widget where you can type in your text and talk to a librarian. On your phone, instead of the widget you'll see a downward arrow. Selecting this arrowing will open up a chat box on your phone.

3) Now just ask a question and hit send. Let us know how it works for you and if you have any problems that we need to report to the service.

National Library Week: Help the Library Stay on Mission

2010-04-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Melvil Dewey Library is looking to the future
and we want your help.

Tells us what you need from the library, what you think would make the library better.

Come and visit our interactive display board on the first floor of the library building.

Post a suggestion using our post-it notes.

It doesn't matter how crazy you think your suggestion may sound. Post-it anyway.

We believe in possibilities!