MLA Format Workshop

 

 

Basic MLA Format Workshop

For Students

 

SCC Central Campus Library

 

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

 

2:30 & 6:00 p.m.

SCC’s Most Popular Databases Get a Makeover

SCC’s Gale databases are the library’s most popular databases for finding full text magazines, journals and newspapers. The Library has 30 Gale databases, twelve of which can be searched together. In the last academic year, students, faculty and staff conducted over 266,700 searches using Gale.

Gale recently decided to change the look of many of its databases and so the familiar yellow search screen has been changed to blue to give it more of a web-look.

Gale has also added new features. You can now download the articles in MP3 format, translate them into eleven languages and access the articles using “Readspeaker”, which is a text-to-speech technology.

For the most part, the databases seem to work the same. The biggest difference is in the  “Browse Subjects” feature, which used to be called “Subject Guide Search.” However, most users search using the homepage, which used to be called “Basic Search.”

As you use this updated version, please feel free to let the library know what you like/don’t like about it.

MLA Format Workshop

Basic MLA Format Workshop

For Students

 

SCC Central Campus Library

 

Thursday, Mar.  12^th, 2008

 

2:30 & 6:00 p.m.

 

February’s eBook of the Month- Raising Freedom’s Child

Raising Freedom's Child

In honor of Black History Month, February’s eBook of the month is Raising Freedom’s Child: Black Children and Visions of the Future after Slavery by Mary Niall Mitchell.

To access eBooks, click on the “Electronic Books” link located on the library’s homepage (http://library.sccsc.edu), then click on “eBooks.”   If you are off-campus, you will need to enter the library’s off-campus username and password, available to SCC students, faculty and staff by contacting the library.

MLA Format Workshop to Be Held at All 3 SCC Campuses!

One of the library’s most popular workshops, the MLA Format Workshop for students, will be held at all three Spartanburg Community College campuses for the first time ever!

The workshop goes over the who, what,why, when and especially how of MLA citation format and present the basics of how to set up and create a Works Cited page. 

The MLA Format Workshop will be held on the following days:

Central Campus: Thursday, Oct. 16th at 2:30 and 6:00 in the Library, located in the LLRC building.

Cherokee Campus: Tuesday, Oct. 21st at 2:00 in Room 108 in the Academic Building.

Tyger River Campus: Wednesday, Oct. 22nd at 2:00 in TRB 222.

 

If MLA is new for you, difficult for you, or if you just love learning about citation formats, please come to one of these sessions! If you have any questions, please contact the library at 864-592-4764.

Cherokee Welcome Back Bash

Cherokee Library WBB Display

 

 

 

 On August 20th, the SCC Cherokee Campus hosted a “Welcome Back Bash” for students, faculty and staff.  Tables were arranged in both the lobby and the canteen areas of the Academic Building.  Each table contained a plethora of displays from SCC academic and student organizations and also retailers and community organizations from the Cherokee area.  Members from the organizations offered students and staff information about their organization or group.  Along with brochures and handouts, an array of prizes, baked goods and other “sweet treats” were provided, and one student commented that they felt like “a trick-or-treater” with a bag full of goodies. 

 The Cherokee Campus Library was one of the organizations participating in the event.  Students and staff were able to learn about the services that are available in the library while also getting to meet with library staff.  From useful and informative MLA citation handouts and database access instructions to entertaining and recreational suggested reading lists, there was something for everyone!

Submitted by Patty Ann W.–Cherokee Library Staff

July’s eBook of the Month: Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions

If the topic of religion fascinates you, be sure to take a look at July’s eBook of the Month.  Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions has over 1100 pages of religious related topics, including religious figures from Aarron (Old Testament) to Zwingli, Huldrych (Protestant Reformation) and beliefs from Acosmism to Zurvanism. If you are looking for information on something related to religion, this is a good place to check!

To access eBooks, click on the ”Electronic Books Link” located on the library’s homepage, http://library.sccsc.edu, then click on “eBooks.” If you are off-campus, you will need to enter the library’s off-campus username and password, available to SCC students, faculty and staff.

 

 

 

 

Library Staff Attend LIBRIS Conference

Earlier this summer, members of the SCC Library staff drove down to Florence, SC, to attend the 2008 LIBRIS Conference held at the SIMT Conference Center, adjacent to Florence Darlington Technical College.

According to the LIBRIS website, this conference is an “annual gathering of librarians and library staff from across South Carolina” who meet annually to “share ideas that will better enable them to carry out the vision and mission of their libraries throughout South Carolina” (www.sclibris.org).

The first program attended was the “One Campus One Book” presentation about The Big Read, a community reading program. Last fall, the SCC Library participated in The Big Read with the Spartanburg County Public Library, and staff was thrilled to share experiences with a panel of Local Technical College library staff.

Staff also attended “The Green Library” program, where several eco-friendly alternatives for printing were suggested, and Furman University’s green initiative was discussed. Next stop was “U2 Can YOUTUBE,” where they worked with the slide collection and made a sample video clip.  There was also a presentation by Dr. Jacqueline Miller Carmichael, a local author, who discussed how events in her personal life caused her to write a book about Margaret Walker’s Jubilee, entitled Trumpeting a Fiery Sound.  

After lunch, staff had a chance to mingle with library personnel from other Technical Colleges. A leisurely stroll around the cool, refreshing fountains in front of the Conference Center was the perfect way to enjoy the ambience. 

After the post lunch session, SCC staff headed home to Spartanburg and are definitely looking forward to LIBRIS 2009 in Columbia, SC.

New Database Spotlight: History Resource Center- World

One of our newest databases is a wonderful resource called History Resource Center: World.

This databases contains  full-text articles from journals, magazines and reference books. It also has primary source materials, as well as images and charts with geographic and chronological data.  The focus is on all aspects of World History, so use it to find information from ancient times up to present day and on places from the Far East to Latin America.  You can also get overviews of events such as the French Revolution, the reformation and Y2K.  History Resource Center: World is an excellent starting place for your historical research!

To access History Resource Center: World go to the library’s homepage, http://library.sccsc.edu, and click on the “A to Z Database List.” This will take you to an alphabetical list of our online resources. Click on “History Resource Center.”  From here you can search both our new World database along with an old favorite, History Resource Center: US. 

If you are accessing the library’s databases off-campus, you will need to use the library’s off-campus user name and password. 

What is a Database and Why Should You Care?

Sometimes students will come to the library with an assignment, telling me they need to use a database, but they don’t know what one is.  Other times, students come in and use the databases, but sometimes they, too, aren’t quite sure what it is they are using.

Therefore today’s post is going to answer the big question:

What in the world is a database?

Let’s break the word down. “Data” means information. So a “database” is just a base or a collection of information that is organized so that you can find it easily.  For example, a  phonebook is a database of names, addresses and phone numbers. You can find information by looking under a person’s name, or you can use the yellow pages and find information about a specific topic, such as hairdressers or locksmiths.

What will you find in a library database?

Like a phonebook, a library database has organized information that is searchable, but instead of addresses and phone numbers, it has periodical articles (i.e. magazine, newspaper and journal articles) as well as reference book articles and entire books online. Books and periodicals tend to be wonderful sources to use when writing a research paper.  Because library databases are organized and searchable, you can easily find information on your topic.

The SCC library has general databases that are good for finding information on almost any subject such as the Gale databases and Academic Search Premier.  It also has topic databases, where you can find information on a specific area such as business, international, or health, such as Health Source: Nursing/Academic.

The library recently obtained several new databases, which will allow our students, faculty and staff even greater access to online articles and books. In the coming weeks, I plan on highlighting these great resources, but I first wanted to explain what a database is and how it can help  you with your research!