Tonight, the largest voluntary action for the environment is reaching further than ever before. Earth Hour is being celebrated in a record 150 countries and territories and 6494 towns and cities to send the message that our combined efforts are needed to change our future to one that is sustainable.
Hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world unite each year to support the largest environmental event in history – Earth Hour.
More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011 alone, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.
This year Earth hour has launched “I Will If You Will” on YouTube to showcase how everyone has the power to change the world we live in, bringing together the world’s biggest social video platform with the ‘world’s largest action for the environment’. The ask is simple, head to YouTube to tell us what you are willing to do to save the planet or accept one the challenges we’ve already received from our supporters.
Earth Hour is organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
INFORMATION LITERACY & HEALTH
"What has traditionally been understood as literacy has been disrupted, like so much else, by the advent of the Internet. No longer is it regarded as simply the ability to read and write. In the Information Age, information literacy is a concept that recognises skills in judging trustworthiness and quality as critical. The flood of information unleashed by the Internet has exposed the many area of life to which a literacy of some sort applies, and thus how many more people need to ecome information literate.
Information literay of various kinds has become a growing issue, and perhaps no more so than in the field of health. Health is a universal yet personal concern, where to be literate ranges from knowing the correct dosage of medication to take to the implications of new researhc, and can be literally vital."
Information literacy is a major focus of the Hoffman Family Library this and every year.
Source: Information from a report by Adrian Janes
Information literay of various kinds has become a growing issue, and perhaps no more so than in the field of health. Health is a universal yet personal concern, where to be literate ranges from knowing the correct dosage of medication to take to the implications of new researhc, and can be literally vital."
Information literacy is a major focus of the Hoffman Family Library this and every year.
Source: Information from a report by Adrian Janes
Monday, March 26, 2012
Most Students don't use social media for research
Some 59 percent of students are not using social media for research or study, according to ebrary’s 2011 Global Student E-book Survey – Social Media Addendum.
Lynn Brainard, ebrary’s media relations sales coordinator, told the Library Journal, “The survey was taken by undergraduate and post-graduate students. We also pushed this out to community colleges, so it could be first year, second years there too. Over 6,600 students participated in the survey.”
The students seemed receptive to the idea of using social media to connect with fellow students: 69 percent said they are likely or very likely to use social media to connect with students with similar academic interests, and 58 percent said they would use social media to share research with peers.
However when authority figures enter the picture, the numbers drop to a minority. Only 45 percent said they would usual social media to pose a question to faculty, and even fewer, at 35 percent, would use social media to pose a question to a librarian.
Are you surprized?
Lynn Brainard, ebrary’s media relations sales coordinator, told the Library Journal, “The survey was taken by undergraduate and post-graduate students. We also pushed this out to community colleges, so it could be first year, second years there too. Over 6,600 students participated in the survey.”
The students seemed receptive to the idea of using social media to connect with fellow students: 69 percent said they are likely or very likely to use social media to connect with students with similar academic interests, and 58 percent said they would use social media to share research with peers.
However when authority figures enter the picture, the numbers drop to a minority. Only 45 percent said they would usual social media to pose a question to faculty, and even fewer, at 35 percent, would use social media to pose a question to a librarian.
Are you surprized?
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, 29th February 2012
Springer added six new quarterly clinical review journals to its existing medicine portfolio this month. These new journals will expand the publisher’s medical specialty coverage, focusing on dermatology, geriatrics/gerontology, nutrition, obesity, obstetrics/gynecology and respiratory care.
Gale Public Library Announcement
March 14, 2012
Gale, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of research and reference resources for libraries, schools and businesses, today announced Gale Gateways, an innovative program for public libraries. Designed to represent the unique way in which a community interacts with its public library, Gale Gateways bring together thematic products and services to provide an organized approach to help patrons find and use information. Unlike anything else on the market, Gale Gateways will help libraries demonstrate their value and worth to their community.
Gale, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of research and reference resources for libraries, schools and businesses, today announced Gale Gateways, an innovative program for public libraries. Designed to represent the unique way in which a community interacts with its public library, Gale Gateways bring together thematic products and services to provide an organized approach to help patrons find and use information. Unlike anything else on the market, Gale Gateways will help libraries demonstrate their value and worth to their community.
Resource of the Week: Yahoo Search Clues
Yahoo! now has a "trends" service. OK, so they're a little late to the party on this one -- Google, after all, launched Google Trends back in 2006 -- but now you can see what's trending on Yahoo!
Yahoo! Clues can be accessed directly, via http://clues.yahoo.com/, or from a link on the search results page. Type a search term of interest into the "Find Trends" text box or click on the link from one of the "popular searches" you'll see on the lefthand side. Then click "Discover." (You also have the option of comparing trends for two search terms, side by side.)
Yahoo! Clues can be accessed directly, via http://clues.yahoo.com/, or from a link on the search results page. Type a search term of interest into the "Find Trends" text box or click on the link from one of the "popular searches" you'll see on the lefthand side. Then click "Discover." (You also have the option of comparing trends for two search terms, side by side.)
The Corporate Professor: The Hedgehog Review
"A specter of determinism seems to be hanging over every aspect of our lives. We are constantly told that we are being shaped by inexorable forces--biological, economic, technological, historical--against which resistance is more or less futile, so we should quit worrying and get on board." (from the editors)
In thie current issue of The hedgehog Review: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Culture, each essay responds to some form of determinism. In the thematic section on corporate professor, the authors contend with the corporatization of higher education and scholarship. This is a very important issue with many thought-provoking essays:
Pressured and Measured: Professors at Wannabe U
Do College Teachers Have to Be Scholars?
Under the Sign of Satan: William Blake in the corporate University
Why Google isn't Making us Supid...or Smart
Family Income and Student Achievement
Blue Tube, Red Tube
Capitalism, Modernity, and the Politics of Place
This issue is available in the Hoffman Family Library
The Hedgehog Review: Critical Refelctions on Contemporary Culture (published by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia)
Spring 2012
In thie current issue of The hedgehog Review: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Culture, each essay responds to some form of determinism. In the thematic section on corporate professor, the authors contend with the corporatization of higher education and scholarship. This is a very important issue with many thought-provoking essays:
Pressured and Measured: Professors at Wannabe U
Do College Teachers Have to Be Scholars?
Under the Sign of Satan: William Blake in the corporate University
Why Google isn't Making us Supid...or Smart
Family Income and Student Achievement
Blue Tube, Red Tube
Capitalism, Modernity, and the Politics of Place
This issue is available in the Hoffman Family Library
The Hedgehog Review: Critical Refelctions on Contemporary Culture (published by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia)
Spring 2012
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Best Recent Articles
On January 30, Adam Gopnik addressed the scandal of our prison system in "The Caging of America" in the New Yorker beginning on pge 72. That issue of the New yorker is available in the library.
Internet Resources: Hepatitis C
1)American Liver Foundation: Hepatitis C
2)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Hepatitis C & Information for the public
3)C. Everett Koop Institute, Dartmouth Medical School: Hepatitis C: An Epidemic for Anyone
4)Hep C Connection
5) National LIbrary of Medicine: Medline Plus: Hepatitis C Interactive Tutorial
6) World Health Organization Media Centre: Heaptitis C, Fact Sheet No. 164
7) US Department of Health and Human Services: NationalDigestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC): What I Need to Know About Hepatitis C
Source: Mary Spalding, Western Maryland Area Health Eeduation Center-Cumberland
MLA News February 2012
2)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Hepatitis C & Information for the public
3)C. Everett Koop Institute, Dartmouth Medical School: Hepatitis C: An Epidemic for Anyone
4)Hep C Connection
5) National LIbrary of Medicine: Medline Plus: Hepatitis C Interactive Tutorial
6) World Health Organization Media Centre: Heaptitis C, Fact Sheet No. 164
7) US Department of Health and Human Services: NationalDigestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC): What I Need to Know About Hepatitis C
Source: Mary Spalding, Western Maryland Area Health Eeduation Center-Cumberland
MLA News February 2012
Women's History Month
Congressional Resolution Designating the Month of March as "Women's History Month
"be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that March is designated as "Women's History Month. The President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation each March, calling upon the people of the United States to observe March as Women’s History Month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities."
~ This resolution was passed by Congress in 1987 and successive years since then.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Free Trial of eHRAF World Cultures and Archaeology
I have arranged a free 30 day trial for eHRAF World Cultures & Archaeology databases. HRAF produces two major full-text databases (eHRAF World Cultures and eHRAF Archaeology), encyclopedias, and other resources for teaching and research.
The Human Relations Area Files, Inc. (HRAF) is an internationally recognized organization in the field of cultural anthropology. The mission of HRAF is to encourage and facilitate worldwide comparative studies of human behavior, society, and culture. Founded in 1949 at Yale University, HRAF is a financially autonomous research agency of Yale.
The trial will be available this week.
The Human Relations Area Files, Inc. (HRAF) is an internationally recognized organization in the field of cultural anthropology. The mission of HRAF is to encourage and facilitate worldwide comparative studies of human behavior, society, and culture. Founded in 1949 at Yale University, HRAF is a financially autonomous research agency of Yale.
The trial will be available this week.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
2011 Best Overall Database: Credo Reference
The Library Journal staff polled a group of librarians and Library Journal reviewers to choose the “best” of 2011
Best Overall Database
Credo Reference
Credo; www.credoreference.com
Looking for material from the Library of Congress? Elsevier? Edinburgh University Press? Credo Reference hosts more than 550 reference titles from those and other respected houses. Some librarians say the best are the database’s “Topic Pages” gathering materials by subject, which adds accessibility options to a resource that the considered awesome to begin with. Others nominated the collection for “Best Integration of Media” and “Best Integration of External Content.”
They also praised Credo’s Mind Map feature for narrowing and broadening topics, helping students to visualize their topic and identify keywords. The upcoming Credo literati is an information literacy add-on that includes subject-specific tutorials and videos, customization that reflects the language an institution uses for information literacy instruction, pre- and postassessment surveys, and library marketing programs.
Go to the library page section, "Research Databases" to use Credo Reference and any of our other databases.
Source: Library Journal
Best Overall Database
Credo Reference
Credo; www.credoreference.com
Looking for material from the Library of Congress? Elsevier? Edinburgh University Press? Credo Reference hosts more than 550 reference titles from those and other respected houses. Some librarians say the best are the database’s “Topic Pages” gathering materials by subject, which adds accessibility options to a resource that the considered awesome to begin with. Others nominated the collection for “Best Integration of Media” and “Best Integration of External Content.”
They also praised Credo’s Mind Map feature for narrowing and broadening topics, helping students to visualize their topic and identify keywords. The upcoming Credo literati is an information literacy add-on that includes subject-specific tutorials and videos, customization that reflects the language an institution uses for information literacy instruction, pre- and postassessment surveys, and library marketing programs.
Go to the library page section, "Research Databases" to use Credo Reference and any of our other databases.
Source: Library Journal
Friday, February 10, 2012
Rising Tension over Iran: CQ Global Researcher
Is Iran trying to develop a nuclear weapon?
Successive U.S. presidents have insisted that a nuclear-armed Iran is “unacceptable.” Iran's Islamic leadership insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. A nuclear Iran would alter the strategic balance in the tense Middle East and, some say, possibly trigger a regional atomic arms race. Although the United States and Europe have imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran, the Iranians have not stopped enriching uranium or begun operating their nuclear program with more transparency. But with Israel reportedly considering a pre-emptive strike on nuclear facilities in Iran — which has vowed to destroy Israel — the question of the sanctions' effectiveness may be moot.
This report is available online through the Hoffman Family Library (password protected).
Source: CQ Global Researcher February 7, 2012
Picture: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (center) inspects some of the 9,000 centrifuges used to enrich uranium at the Natanz nuclear facility, 200 miles south of Tehran. (Getty Images/Office of the Presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran/April 2008)
Hoffman Family Library Staff opposes HR 3699
The staff of the Hoffman Family Library joins the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries(AAHSL)in opposing HR 3699, the Research Works Act. HR 3699 would restrict access to information generated through public funds, overturn the successful National Institutes of Health public access policy, and prohibit other federal agencies from establishing similar policies.
MLA and AAHSL worked to promote access to quality health information for the health care community and the public. The academic library community maintains that government-generated information, including online access to articles that report the results of federally funded research, is a public good and must be disseminated with as few barriers as possible. This act would restrict access to information generated through public funds, overturn the successful NIH public access policy, and prohibit other federal agencies from establishing similar policies.
MLA and AAHSL worked to promote access to quality health information for the health care community and the public. The academic library community maintains that government-generated information, including online access to articles that report the results of federally funded research, is a public good and must be disseminated with as few barriers as possible. This act would restrict access to information generated through public funds, overturn the successful NIH public access policy, and prohibit other federal agencies from establishing similar policies.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Can Obama Withstand the Rebpulican Challenge?
CQ Researcher Report
February 3, 2012
"The 2012 contest pitting President Obama against a yet-to-be-determined Republican challenger ranks as one of the most intriguing presidential campaigns in history. Two powerful populist factions — the conservative Tea Party movement and Occupy Wall Street protest against income inequality — are helping to shape campaign ideologies and stump speeches. An unusually large field of Republican candidates, including multimillionaire Mormon Mitt Romney and thrice-married Newt Gingrich, have fought each other as aggressively as they have Obama, leaving the GOP so fractured that some think a nominee won't emerge until the party convention in August. Meanwhile, following a controversial Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance, wealthy donors are pouring millions of dollars into TV attack ads through so-called SuperPACs. And overshadowing the entire spectacle is the shaky U.S. economy and the question of which candidate is best equipped to turn it around."
The CQ Researcher weekly reports are available through the library (password protected). Ask in the library for username and password.
Source: CQ Researcher February 3, 2012
Picture: President Obama stops for a campaign photo op in Phoenix on Jan. 25. (AFP/Getty Images/Jewel Samad)
Granta Magazine of New Writing
Issue 118: Exit Strategies
In this latest issue John Barth contemplates the end of writing fiction. Alice Munro explores the interior world of an elderly woman losing her memory. Aleksandar Hemon tells the story of his family's escape from the Bosnian War, and the love and fate of Mek, their Irish setter. David Long writes about a man haunted by a sexual encounter decades ago. Claire Messud searches for her father's Beirut, long since gone, as he himself lies dying in a hospice in Connecticut. Other well-known writers in this issue include Adrienne Rich, Ann Tyler, ad Ann Beattie. The cover is by Michael Salu.
Granta has publishes many of the world’s finest writers tackling some of the world’s most important subjects. Granta does not have a political or literary manifesto, but it does have a belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction. This is one of the most exciting publications in the library—highly recommended by the library staff.
Previous Issues
117: Horror
116: Ten Years Later
115: The F Word
114: Aliens
113: Best of Young Spanish-Language Novelists
112: Pakistan
Source: Information from Granta
In this latest issue John Barth contemplates the end of writing fiction. Alice Munro explores the interior world of an elderly woman losing her memory. Aleksandar Hemon tells the story of his family's escape from the Bosnian War, and the love and fate of Mek, their Irish setter. David Long writes about a man haunted by a sexual encounter decades ago. Claire Messud searches for her father's Beirut, long since gone, as he himself lies dying in a hospice in Connecticut. Other well-known writers in this issue include Adrienne Rich, Ann Tyler, ad Ann Beattie. The cover is by Michael Salu.
Granta has publishes many of the world’s finest writers tackling some of the world’s most important subjects. Granta does not have a political or literary manifesto, but it does have a belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction. This is one of the most exciting publications in the library—highly recommended by the library staff.
Previous Issues
117: Horror
116: Ten Years Later
115: The F Word
114: Aliens
113: Best of Young Spanish-Language Novelists
112: Pakistan
Source: Information from Granta
New Information on TOXMAP
TOXMAP helps users create nationwide, regional, or local area maps showing where TRI chemicals are released on-site into the air, water, and ground. It also identifies the releasing facilities, color-codes release amounts for a single year or year range, and provides multi-year aggregate chemical release data and trends over time, starting with 1988. Maps can also show locations of Superfund sites on the National Priority List (NPL) (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl), listing all chemical contaminants present at these sites.
TOXMAP now includes the 2010 Toxics Release Inventory data (TRI) (http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri10/nationalanalysis/index.htm).
TOXMAP maps the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemicals reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA).
A complete list of TRI chemicals required to be reported to the EPA can be found at http://www.epa.gov/tri/trichemicals/index.htm.
Access information HERE.
Source: United States National Library of Medicine
February 8, 2012
TOXMAP now includes the 2010 Toxics Release Inventory data (TRI) (http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri10/nationalanalysis/index.htm).
TOXMAP maps the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemicals reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA).
A complete list of TRI chemicals required to be reported to the EPA can be found at http://www.epa.gov/tri/trichemicals/index.htm.
Access information HERE.
Source: United States National Library of Medicine
February 8, 2012
Registration Window Opens
February 20 –March 7
Registration windows will be open for students who wish to ADD a second half class for February 29th.
Registration windows will be open for students who wish to ADD a second half class for February 29th.
Official ACCUPLACER Study App is here!
ACCUPLACER® launches the official ACCUPLACER study app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. For only $1.99, students can brush up on their skills and become familiar with the style and content of questions asked on an ACCUPLACER test.
Product Features
•Interactive practice tests for ACCUPLACER Arithmetic, Elementary Algebra, College-Level Math, Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills tests
•Immediate feedback and a detailed explanation of the correct response to multiple-choice questions
For more information go HERE
Product Features
•Interactive practice tests for ACCUPLACER Arithmetic, Elementary Algebra, College-Level Math, Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills tests
•Immediate feedback and a detailed explanation of the correct response to multiple-choice questions
For more information go HERE
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Evaluating Drug Information: Avoid Wikipedia
Be careful about using Wikipedia for drug information.While Wikipedia provides some basic drug information, students are encouraged to supplement that information with traditionally edited sources. Quality drug information is freely available from US government–provided sites such as the National Library of Medicine's Drug Information Portal,or MedlinePlus: Drugs, Supplements, and Herbal Information. Commercial consumer sites such as WebMD's RxList, Medscape: Pharmacists, and DailyMed are also available.
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