Learn About Kwanzaa Wrapup

Yesterday's "Learn about Kwanzaa" workshop was informative and tasty! Gary Mumford and Retha Hall lead the group in an early celebration of Kwanzaa. Participants learned about the 7 principles of Kwanzaa or the "Nguzo Saba". Then some attendees were called upon to light the 7 candles in the cerimonial candleholder called the "Kinara". Each candle represents one of the 7 principles of Kwanzaa. Learn more here.

Retha also prepared some traditional African dishes for the event including Nigerian Spicy Rice, African Yams with Egusi, and a cold bean dish called Mbaazi.

Thanks to Retha and Gary for giving CPCC an opportunity to learn about and participate in Kwanzaa!

CPCC Libraries Food and Drink Policy

In our ongoing effort to make the CPCC Libraries a more inviting and relaxing place for study and leisure, the libraries allow consumption of nonalcoholic beverages and food on a limited basis in public areas of the library. To help preserve our collections, protect our equipment/furnishings and facility from unnecessary damage or repairs, we ask that library users be considerate of others and accept personal responsibility for adhering to this policy.

Policy:

Only baked goods, light pre-packaged snack foods, fresh fruit and nonalcoholic beverages are permitted. Delivery of outside food or meals from fast food or take out establishments are NOT permitted. Anyone found in violation of policy will be asked to remove their food and/or leave the library. We appreciate your assistance in helping us keep the libraries a clean and inviting place!

The following categories of foods and drinks are acceptable and will be allowed in the public areas of the library:

>>Nonalcoholic beverages in sturdy, spill-proof containers with lids or caps that can be easily be transported. This includes coffee, hot chocolate, smoothies, and bottled drinks such as soda or water.

>>Baked goods including muffins, biscotti, brownies, cookies, scones, doughnuts, etc.

>>Fresh fruit in the natural skin (i.e. apples, bananas, pears, etc)

>>Pre-packaged snack foods such as crackers, chips, nuts (shelled), candy, etc.

The following categories of foods are NOT acceptable and will NOT be allowed in the public areas of the library:

>>Aromatic hot foods or /meals such as sandwiches, meals from fast food or take out establishments. This includes pizza, burgers, fried chicken, French fries, fish, etc.

>>Foods that require subsequent preparation (i.e. adding condiments, shelling nuts, dipping sauces, etc.) Exceptions: adding of cream and sugar for coffee and possibly cream cheese for bagels if sold on site. Preparation must be completed at the point of sale.

>>Cold salads (e.g. deli salads, garden salads, etc.)

>>Fruit cups such as fruit cocktail or melon cups

>>Ice cream

The CPCC Libraries can be your lifesaver!

Are you suffering from:

>>Stress about finding research for your EDU or SOC writing project?
>>Not enough resources for your ENG 112 or ENG 114 project?
>>Need to finish the Scavenger Hunt for your COM class?
>>Can’t find a place to study with your math group?

The CPCC Libraries can be your lifesaver!

The virtual library is never closed! Click into our lifelines at www.cpcc.edu/library. 24/7/365!

Or try one of these simple ways to get help from your library:

>>IM a Librarian – chat with a CPCC librarian Monday – Thursday from 10am – 2pm and 5 – 7pm User name: ClicKnows

>>NCKnows – chat with a librarian 24/7, any day any hour

>>Ask a Librarian – email your question and get an answer from a CPCC librarian within 24 business hours Monday - Friday

>>Phone – call any campus library during regular business hours for help.
Stop by any campus library during regular hours.

Kwanzaa Workshop -- 11/29

Do you enjoy learning about other cultures? Looking for something to do after Christmas to extend the holiday season? Then come experience and learn something new to share with family and friends by celebrating Kwanzaa with us.

Join librarian Retha Hall on Wednesday, November 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in LRC 404 for this introductory workshop about the history, tradition, seven guiding principles and symbols of Kwanzaa. Participants will also have an opportunity to sample an African dish. Get in the spirit and wear your African attire.

Kwanzaa is a nonreligious, family-oriented cultural celebration of African and African American heritage typically celebrated between December 26 and January 1.

We invite the CPCC community to stop by the library and visit our Kwanzaa display and books from the library’s collection. The exhibit items will be on display November 15 through December 15.

Avoiding plagiarism with Dr. Cite Right -- 11/29

By popular demand, the library is offering its “What Is Plagiarism and How Do I Avoid It?” workshop again on Wednesday, November 29, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. in LRC 205. This class will define plagiarism and some of the associated terms, introduce attendees to citations, and provide specific examples illustrating the difference between summarizing and plagiarizing. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis so come early!

Attendees will also be introduced to “Dr. Cite Right,” our new interactive plagiarism tool. In this ten-minute tutorial, Dr. Cite Right, who has a striking resemblance to Freud, guides students through an interactive introduction to plagiarism from diagnosis to cure. “Dr. Cite Right” can be accessed on our website 24/7. Try it now!

CPCC Librarians Carve a Mean Pumpkin

CPCC Libraries took 2nd place in the Career Services Pumpkin Carving Contest! There is a striking resemblance between our entry and the Libraries' mascot, CLICK. Coincidence? I think not!

Thanks to those who participated.

Library Offering Plagiarism Workshop

It’s term paper season for CPCC students! To help our students understand the difference between plagiarizing and paraphrasing when writing a paper, the library is offering a class entitled “What is Plagiarism and How Do I Avoid it?” The session will be held on Wednesday, November 8th from 2:00 to 3:00 in LRC 205. Seats are available on a first come first serve basis.

This class will define plagiarism and some of the terms associated with it, introduce attendees to citations, and provide specific examples illustrating the difference between summarizing and plagiarizing. Attendees will also be introduced to “Dr. Cite Right”, our new interactive plagiarism tool. In this ten minute tutorial, Dr. Cite Right, who has a striking resemblance to Freud, guides students through an interactive introduction to plagiarism from diagnosis to cure. “Dr. Cite Right” can be accessed on our website 24/7. Try it now!

Library Hours for Fall Break

Hours for Fall Break are as follows --


Central Campus Library

Thursday, October 12th -- 7:30am - 5:00pm
Friday, October 13th -- CLOSED
Saturday, October 14th -- 9:00am - 1:00pm


Cato, Harper, Levine, North, and Cato Campus Libraries will be CLOSED on Thursday, October 12th and Friday, October 13th.

IM-A-Librarian will also be closed on Thursday the 12th.

Library Catalog Offline 10/13 - 10/15

We are upgrading our library catalog software on Friday, October 13th. Due to the upgrade, the library catalog will be unavailable from Friday, October 13th through the early morning on Monday, October 16th. We apologize for any inconvience this may cause.

IM-a-Librarian -- Expanded Hours!

Starting on Monday, October 9th the hours for IM-a-Librarian will expand to

Monday thru Thursday
10am-2pm & 5pm - 7pm

IM-a-Librarian allows you to get assistance from a CPCC librarian using AOL instant messenger, MSN Messenger, or Yahoo! Messenger. For more detials visit our Ask-a-Librarian page.

Support the United Way... buy a book!

The United Way Book Sale will be held October 18th-19th from 8:00 - 3:00pm outside of the Central Campus Library. All proceeds will benefit the United Way. Most items will be priced between $0.50 - $1.00. Stop by and show your support for the United Way!

Pay for Print is Here!

All CPCC Libraries have officially switched to the Pay For Print system (the same as in the labs). Pay For Print will allow you to add prints to your account using a debit or credit card online. All users may also purchase prints with cash at any campus cashier office. The library will no longer be accepting cash for prints. For more information on the new service visit the Pay For Print FAQ. To add prints to your account follow this link.

Victory (Coffee) is Ours!

Victory Coffee is now open!

It's located on the first floor of the Central Campus Library and currently serving specialty coffees, smoothies, and juices along with baked goods. Victory is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon; and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Hours are subject to change during semester breaks and during the summer.

Prices range from $1.00 for a small regular coffee to $3.90 for a major (large) size specialty coffee.

CPCC: Unplugged

Did you know that Wireless Internet Access is available on the 1st floor of the Central Campus Library?

Click here for Login instructions. Also, take a look at the Campus Wireless Map for other access areas.

Check the Information Technology Services wireless page for a FAQ and more details.

Now you know... and knowing is half the battle.

Check Out our Sweet DVDs

Attention students, faculty, and staff--The Library is now checking out DVDs! We have a collection of over 100 available at all six campus libraries. The loan period is one week.

Some sample titles are listed below --

12 angry men
Aileen: life and death of a serial killer
Alfred Hitchcock's rear window
Aliens of the deep
American history X
Angels in America
Ask this old house. The complete first season
Auschwitz [videorecording] : inside the Nazi state
A beautiful mind
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Capturing the Friedmans
Casablanca
The chronicles of Narnia. The lion, the witch and the wardrobe
Coach Carter
Cold Mountain
The color purple
Enron: the smartest guys in the room
Everest
Finding Neverland
Glory
Good night, and good luck
Grizzly man
Inside Hurricane Katrina
Kinsey
The last of the Mohicans
Lewis & Clark
Mad hot ballroom
The Manchurian candidate
March of the penguins
Monster
Murderball
Mystic River
One day in September
One flew over the cuckoo's nest
The pianist
Pride and prejudice
Rain man
Ray
Rebel without a cause
Romeo + Juliet
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's list
Seabiscuit
Super size me
To kill a mockingbird
Vertigo
William Shakespeare's A Midsummer night's dream
William Shakespeare's The merchant of Venice

New and Discontinued Library Databases

The CPCC Libraries would like to announce the following changes to our collection of full-text electronic resources.

We have added the following new databases:

• The Historical New York Times is a unique full-image archive that brings you the entire historical run of the New York Times, with complete coverage from 1851-2003. Every issue of this title includes the complete paper –cover to cover, with advertisements - with full-page and article images in downloadable PDF. An additional year of content is added annually.
• The eHRAF Collection of Ethnography is a cross-cultural database that contains over 350,000 pages of information on all aspects of cultural and social life. The information is organized into cultures and ethnic groups.
• Books in Print provides bibliographic information on more than 5.6 million in-print, out-of-print, forthcoming, book, audiobook and video titles, including publisher data and reviews. Users can search or browse by author, subject, or award. Looking for something to read? Check out Books in Print’s Reader’s Advisory page or Fiction Room, which allows searching by recurring character.

We have discontinued the collection of FirstSearch databases, due both to sharply rising costs and the duplication of full-text titles in the recently updated NC LIVE resources. The FirstSearch databases included:

• AGRICOLA
• Arts and Humanities Search
• Alternative Press Index
• Alternative Press Index Archive
• ArticleFirst
• BasicBIOSIS
• Biology Digest
• BusIndustry
• BusManagement
• Business Dateline
• BusinessOrgs
• CWI
• Clase and Periodica
• Consumers Index Disclosure
• Corporate Snapshots
• Dissertation Abstracts Online
• ERIC
• EconLit
• Electronic Books
• Electronic Collections Online
• FactSearch
• GEOBASE
• GPO Monthly Catalog
• Media Review Digest
• Medline Newspaper Abstracts
• PAISInternational
• PapersFirst
• Periodical Abstracts
• ProceedingsFirst
• PsycFIRST
• UnionLists
• World Almanac
• Worldscope Global

If you have any questions regarding these or any of the libraries’ electronic resources, please contact Jennifer Arnold.

Website Highlight

The Librarian's Index to the Internet (www.lii.org) provides links to reliable information on a ton of subject areas. It's searchable and has over 20,000 links to sites on the web, all of which were hand picked and categorized by professionals. In addition to CPCC Libraries' collection of books and full-text article databases, LII.org can be a great place to look for information on whatever topic you are studying.

Spotlight on EBSCOhost's Academic Search Premier

Academic Search Premiere contains journal and magazine articles from over 4,650 publications. Most titles allow you to access full articles from the late 1980's onward and some are covered all the way back to 1975. Popular magazines covered include Time, Newsweek, Forbes, Black Enterprise, and Health. Scholarly journals include Science, Nature, and The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Academic Search Premiere can be found in the “Find an Article” section of the library’s website. It is a great place to start your research. CPCC students can use it from home with a SNAP ID.

Fourth Facts

Fourth of July Facts

Hot Dogs -- It is estimated that 150 Million Hot Dogs will be consumed by Americans this Fourth of July. That's one dog for every two people in the US.

Population -- In 1776 there were 2.5 million people living in what was then the British Colonies. Today, nearly 300 million people call America home.

The Melting Pot -- Each year thousands of people are proud to be accepted as American citizens. 34 million Americans or 12% of the population was born in another country. Another 30 million Americans are second generation, meaning their parents immigrated here.

BBQ's -- 69 million Americans took part in at least one BBQ or cookout last year.

These facts brought to you by the United States Census Bureau. For more statistics on the American population visit their home page.

IM-a-Librarian and More!

We have two bits of news for you --

#1 -- The CPCC Libraries are running a pilot project that we are calling IM-a-Librarian. We've signed up for screen names on AIM, YAHOO, and MSN and would be happy to help you with any questions you might have. We are staffing it from 10am-2pm Monday thru Thursday. Our screen names are as follows --

AIM - ClicKnows
YAHOO - ClicKnows
MSN - ClicKnows@hotmail.com

#2 -- We recently came across a disturbing hoax site at www.genpets.com. The site claims to be from a company that will be selling pre-packaged genetically modified "pets" in the "near future". It was part of an art student's thesis. For more information visit the artist's site. This is just another reminder that we must be critical consumers of information.

Turning the Pages

"Turning the Pages" is an online exhibit by The British Library. It features 15 rare books that have been digitized and allow the viewer to virtually flip through them. The most famous titles include the original Alice in Wonderland, one of Da Vinci's sketch books, and original music by Mozart. The exhibit also features a magnifying glass that lets visitors examine each book in detail.

Something's Not Right Here...

It's time to take another look at bias and hoaxes on the Internet. Today we'll look at two sites falsely claiming to represent an organzation. On the surface they look authentic, but after reading further it becomes clear that whoever designed these did so with the intent of spreading critical information about the organizations.

The Sites

Cargill
Real -- http://www.cargill.com/
Fake -- http://www.cargillcorporate.com/

American Petroleum Institute
Real --http://api-ec.api.org/newsplashpage/index.cfm
Fake -- http://www.petroleuminstitute.org/

Consumers of information need to evaluate the information they are using for authority, accuracy, and bias. For more information on evaluating information on the web visit The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.

New Leisure Reading Books!

Over summer break each campus received a fresh batch of new books for leisure reading. We've got some excellent titles. Head to your nearest campus library and check them out!

The End is Near

The semester is almost over! We are sure everyone is working hard to complete their final assignments. Remember that if you are working on assignments after hours and need information to help you with a paper, use our databases to find journal and magazine articles. All you need is your SNAP ID. If you are running into problems live help is offered 24/7 through the NcKnows chat service.

When the semester is over relax with some of these area activities.

Take a Hike @ Crowder's Mountain

See the Dead Sea Scrolls at Discovery Place thru May 29th

Visit the UNCC Botanical Gardens

Good luck with finals!

Don't Hesitate to Ask

Cecil Adams is a syndicated columnist who researches and answers questions from readers across the country. Check out his answers to these and other practical and not-so-practical questions at www.StraightDope.com. If you've got any stumpers please contact your friendly CPCC librarian. By phone at (704) 330-6884 or use our online service, Ask A Librarian.

Why do your fingers and toes wrinkle in the bathtub?

Can I mail a brick back to a junk-mail firm using the business reply envelope?

Did 250 million people worldwide die from smoking over 10 years?

Introducing E-Audiobooks

NetLibrary has over 1,000 audiobooks available and downloadable to any digital music player that supports the .WMA format (Sorry, iPod devotees!). Some titles include --

Lullaby, by Chuck Palahniuk (the author or Fight Club)
The Davinci Code, by Dan Brown
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

There are also many foreign language courses available. Each book has a check-out period of 21 days. If you need any help contact us at 704-330-6884.

Win an iPod! (For Real)

Take the CPCC Libraries Survey and you could win an iPod! In order to get as many responses as possible the Survey has been extended through at least the end of this week.

We are giving away two iPod Shuffles and six 256mb flash drives for students who take the survey. We also have one iPod Shuffle reserved for faculty and staff to win.

When taking the survey, don't pull any punches. If you are happy with what we do, we want to know! If you think our services stink... we want to know! Your answers will help us serve you better. To take the survey now, follow this link.

Comments Enabled!

All new posts to the CPCC Libraries Blog will allow the reader to add comments. Some posts lend themselves to conversation and we hope to hear some spirited posts from readers. Until next week...

Lanscaping Experts Give Gardening Tips to the Rest of Us

On Friday CPCC's own Eddie Howell and Tom Bass stopped by the library and shared gardening tips with over 50 attendees. A few of their suggestions included --

1. Mow fescue lawns at 3 to 4 inches so that your turf will stay healthy. Continue this height all year long.

2. Prune azaleas that have already bloomed and fertilize after pruning.

Thanks Eddie and Tom!

Comparing Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica

Wikipedia = A free encyclopedia that lets anyone edit its contents. Recently there has been concern about the accuracy of an encyclopedia that alllows anyone to change the information contained in it.

Britannica = Many academics revere it for its strict editorial standards, but do mistakes still slip through the cracks?

How do the two compare?

Check out this article from infotoday.com .

You can also compare them for yourself.

Link to Wikipedia

Link to Britannica Online
(You’ll need your SNAP ID to access it from off-campus.)

New Look and RSS Capability!

We've changed the look of the Blog a bit, the colors now fit in a little better with the rest of the CPCC Libraries website. We've also added RSS. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) will allow any new posts to be sent directly to your computer. All you have to do is download an RSS reader and point it to the Site Feed link in the links section of the blog. If you don't have an RSS reader there are many available (free!) for download.

BookMarks Recap

Jeri Krentz, Book Editor, The Charlotte Observer spoke on Friday at CPCC Libraries' BookMarks event. During her visit, she shared many book recommendations with attendees including; Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson, March by Geraldine Brooks, and Mountains Beyond Mountains : The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder. The conversation soon turned to James Fry and the controversy surrounding his book, A Million Little Pieces, Ebook readers, and podcasting. Thank you to all who took the time to attend and contribute to the discussion. Until next time...

CPCC Libraries to host Jeri Krentz on Friday, March 17th

Jeri Krentz, Book Editor, The Charlotte Observer will speak at CPCC Librairies’ BookMarks event from 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m., Friday, March 17 in LRC 404.

If you love books and are always in search of the next great read, you will want to attend this gathering. BookMarks isn’t a book club, but rather an easy and fun way to get lots of book recommendations from your fellow booklovers. Come and hear Jeri Krentz share her thoughts about books and authors.

Drinks and desserts will be provided.

Students, faculty, and staff are welcome. Staff can sign up for BookMarks in LearnerWeb for professional development credit.

Procrastination Nation

Does your Christmas shopping consist of frantically running around the mall on Christmas Eve? Have you ever had to give the sniff test to a potentially clean shirt because laundry day keeps slipping through the cracks? Do you always find yourself rushing to complete assignments at the last minute?

If you said “Yes” to any of these questions you might be a procrastinator. Well, we can’t help you with the first two, but the third we might just have an answer for. It’s called The Assignment Calculator and it will plan out all the steps you need to take in order to get that assignment done on time and without having to rush, helpful links included!

A Window Into Our Past

Cato Campus Library has an interesting display up in celebration of Black History Month. The display has three sections; A tribute to Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks, books and visuals about the Harlem Renaissance, and yearbooks from Carver College and Mecklenburg College dating from the 1950's and 60's. If you like what you see you're welcome to check it out!

Student Resources Day is a Hit!

On Wednesday, Central Campus hosted Student Resources Day on the first floor of the APAC building. Library Services participated alongside other college departments that play an integral part in student success. We talked to many students and the event was a resounding success! Look for us at Cato Student Resources Day next Wednesday, the 22nd from 10:30 - 12:30.

All the News That’s Fit to Post

Top stories –

Rubik’s Cube Record Beaten

Stolen Car is Returned After 37 Years

Ever heard of breaking IN to Jail?

Want to find more newspaper articles? CPCC students and faculty can search 25 local and national papers using America’s Newspapers including; The Charlotte Observer, The Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune. Some of these titles have full articles as far back as 1977. All you need is your SNAP ID!

Documentary Filmmaker to Visit CPCC on Feb. 9th

Steve Crump, WBTV journalist and award-winning documentary filmmaker, will speak to Central Piedmont Community College students, faculty and staff on February 9th from 11:00 a.m. – 12 noon in the Recital Hall, 2nd floor, Academic and Performing Arts Center. The public is invited.

The program is jointly sponsored by CPCC Libraries and Student Life in celebration of Black History Month.

Crump has made more than 10 films including works on civil rights (Lessons from the Lunch Counter and Strength from Selma), art (Romare Bearden: Charlotte Collaborations), music (Carolina Bebop Kings), horse racing (Forgotten at the Finish Line), and military history (Airmen and Adversity: The Tuskegee Airmen).

He has won four regional Emmy Awards for stories on South Africa, southern church arsons, black radio and African American paratroopers in WWII and four National Headliners for domestic and international coverage.

Crump will show parts of his best documentaries and discuss the history that is the subject of the films, as well as the creative process of making documentary films.

Refreshments will be served following the program.

Questions: Phone Linda Colbert, 6701; Yolyndra Green, 6943; Amanda Capobianchi, 6374. (Add 704-330- to phone from off-campus)

Looking for the Answers to Life’s Nagging Questions?

Sometimes the CPCC librarians get so caught up in helping students, faculty and the public find answers (and we love it!) that we don’t have the time to look into the many of the unanswered questions that swim around in our own heads. Then we found a website called Straight Dope, run by Cecil Adams, “The World’s Smartest Human Being”. Cecil has been “fighting ignorance” since 1973 by exhaustively researching readers' questions and providing well thought out and entertaining answers. His column has been syndicated in many papers across the nation.

So, what would we like to know?

Why do hot dogs come 10 per pack, while hot dog buns are 8 to a pack?

Why do the British drive on the left side of the road?

Can soap ever get dirty?

Got a question? Before you ask Cecil, give us a try. Your friendly CPCC librarians are here to help you at your local campus library or by phone, email, and our online chat service.

Attack of the 50 Ft. Hoaxes

Ever found yourself desperate for any information you can get on a topic, but the library is closed, and the paper is due in hours? What do most people do? They use their friendly internet search engine.

This is not necessarily the desperate information seeker’s best option. The open internet is a great outlet to find some of the most random and obscure things one can think of, but there is no quality control. Many times, you don’t know if the information you are looking at was written by an expert or just some guy. Take a look at just these couple questionable internet sites and see if you can tell if they are for real.

BuyDehydratedWater.com – Isn't that called air?

TheDogIsland.com – Where dogs go to roam free…

Feline Reactions to Bearded Men – Is this a hoax or not?

By searching one of CPCC’s trusty databases you can be sure to get quality information from trusted sources. All you need is your SNAP ID. Try Academic Search Premier to search over 3,600 magazines and academic journals – many with full articles. Need a book after hours? Try NetLibrary for access to over 22,000 books online!