DCCC Library Books and Bytes

Each book has a unique ISBN number.  An example is 9781597776387 for The Obama Revolution by Kennedy-Shaffer published in 2009.  With the explosion of information, we need to identify other resources with unique numbers like journal articles, books, and book chapters. DOI represents digital object identifier.  CrossRef is the official association that collects DOIs for scholarly publications.  The DOI is assigned by the publisher and registered with CrossRef.  An example is 10.1037/a0015919 for the article “Are There Developmentally Limited Forms of Bipolar Disorder?” by Cicero, Epler, and Sher in Journal of Abnormal Psychology.  The DOI is a required element in APA format which is used by Psychology and Science disciplines.  The DOI provides a consistent link to content.  All publishers have not complied yet but in the future we will be using another long string of numbers and letters to identify sources.  

For more information, go to http://crossref.org
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APA and MLA tutorials under construction

The module of the library’s Research Skills Tutorial (also known as Searchpath at http://www.dccc.edu/library/tutorials.html) that explains how to create a works cited list is being revised to reflect updated guidelines from MLA and APA. We’ll get it back in action as soon as possible, but in the meantime we suggest visiting http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ for good explanations and examples. Sample citations for many of the resources used by DCCC students are available from the library web site at http://http://www.dccc.edu/library/citations/.
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Most students use the library databases to find an article to support an assignment or their research but did you know that some of these databases also have thousands of recipes? The EBSCO database, Masterfile Premier can be searched by Document Type – which includes recipes – from a variety of magazines including Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Health and Redbook. So no matter what you plan to cook – recipes are available online for everything from Apple Pie to Watercress Salad to Halloween-themed desserts. Another great free web site for recipes is http://www.101cookbooks.com/ (esd)

Librarians, relatives of deceased authors, researchers, book publishers and The Author’s Guild have objected to Google’s plan to digitize millions of out of print books.  On October 9th, the Federal Court of New York ordered Google to modify their plan which allows for 1 free station per public library and one station for every 4,000 students at an academic institution with the customer paying Google for printing!  Benefits to users include access to millions of out of print books and audio editions for visually impaired readers.  Objections include: copyright infringements when the authors cannot be located; a monopoly which violates antitrust laws; a for-profit company (Google) securing rights to public resources and possible violation of patron privacy.  Google must make its revised plan known by November 9th, 2009; however, it may take months or years to reach an agreement.  For more information about this important case, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/technology/internet/04books.html.
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Not another version of Soduku, Soshiku is a free online service for students.  Set up courses, assignments, notes, and even text reminders.  Soshiku can even simplify your life when it comes to group projects with file sharing features.  http://www.soshiku.com     (ms)

College library collections normally contain books that support the courses. But as a courtesy to our patrons , DCCC Library subscribes to  a small rotating collection of best-selling fiction (and a few best-selling non-fiction titles as well.) If you have time for some recreational reading on that burnt out Friday night, or that last weekend of beach time, come see the McNaughton collection: here you will find Evanovich, McCall-Smith, Clancy, Leonard, Parker, Higgins Clark, etc. The books are actually rented (not purchased) from a subscription service so that we can continually trade them in for the latest hot titles!

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Good news from MLA. Beginning April, 2009, the MLA does not require the URL (that is the actual web address) for database citations. Also eliminated from the new standards for database citations are the Library Name, City , State. The inclusion of URL for “free” web sites appears to be optional and up to each instructor. The Library has multiple copies of the 2009 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and has posted the new citation help sheets at <http://www.dccc.edu/library/research/mla.html>.

A nice overview of the changes appears at <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/>. Flexibility will be required as the transition takes place in the Fall semester.Be sure your instructor is aware of the 2009 chnages before turning in your updated works cited pages this semester. (mg)