One afternoon we decided to ask some of our students "What do you love about the Richland College Library?" Their answers provided a remarkably rich summary of what the library has to offer -- at least from a student's point of view.

We prepared the YouTube video as part of a tour and presentation we put together for the Richland College Academic Council.

Making the video turned out to be a lot of fun for both students and "film crew." Thanks to Alice Fulbright who served as "emcee" and Gary Duke (yours truly) who operated the camera and did the editing (with his trusty Mac, of course).

World Digital Library

The World Digital Library (WDL) was launched on April 21, 2009 at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France. The new website features a collection of primary materials from numerous libraries and archives around the world. The materials featured on the site include manuscripts, maps, rare books, films, sound recordings, prints and photographs. The site is free to the public and functions in seven languages.

Dr. James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress, proposed the creation of the digital library to UNESCO in 2005. The stated objectives of the WDL are to promote international understanding, expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet, provide resources for educators, scholars and general audiences, and narrow the digital divide within and between countries.

Examples of treasures featured include Arabic scientific manuscripts from the National Library and Archives of Egypt; early photographs of Latin America from the National Library of Brazil; the Hyakumanto darani, a publication from the year 764 from the National Diet Library of Japan; the famous 18th century "Devil's Bible" from the National library of Sweden; and works of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish calligraphy from the collection of the United States Library of Congress.

Travel the World in a Book

Do you fantasize about scuba diving off the coast of Thailand? Have you always wanted to explore the Egyptian pyramids? Does shopping and dining in Paris sound like your ideal day? If you dream of traveling the world, but don't have the time or money, borrow a book about another country from the Richland College Library. Throughout the month of April, the Richland College Library is featuring a display of books on cultures of the world. You can explore the history and culture of another country from the comfort of your own home. So, go ahead and scale the Swiss Alps while you lounge in the sun or backpack across Europe without ever lifting finger. You can do them both in one day.

126 Students Earn Library's Information Literacy Certificate

Librarians began teaching the Spring 2009 Library Information Literacy Classes on January 29. The formal series of three 80 minute face-to-face classes ended on April 4.

To date, 349 students have been participating in the classes and/or completing the online requirements. A total of 126 of those students have earned the Library's Information Literacy Certificate for attending all three library classes.

Even though the classes have ended, students may still earn credit for each of the library classes by completing a combination of online and printed exercises. These exercises are available on the web at http://www.rlc.dcccd.edu/library/infolit.php. Students should look in the "Online Learning" column on the right hand side of the page.

Research One - Introduction to the Richland Library includes a photo tour and an online quiz.

Research Two - Electronic Research Sources and Strategies requires students to complete a written exercise.

Research Three - MLA Format--Avoiding Plagiarism and Documenting Sources requires students to complete an online quiz and create a works cited list using NoodleTools.

Students who complete the program are better prepared to conduct library research needed for a speech, an essay, or a research paper.

Interesting reference questions

Here are some of the more memorable reference questions we have received at the Richland Library reference desk. Enjoy!

1. How to write an essay on philosophy (topic: write from the viewpoint of a bat)
2. What was the name of the Richland lake before it was named "Thunderduck?"
3. What do you do if your vet removes the wrong organ?
4. I need personal narratives from people who committed crimes while they were on drugs.
5. Does html stand for Hotmail?
6. I need a list of myths that have been proven scientifically.
7. I added items to my cart in Amazon.com, so why is it empty?
8. How to I vote for President online?
9. Where can I find information about the benefits of drinking urine?
10. How to translate a document from English to Vietnamese online for free
11. What direction is North?
12. What is the largest named number?
13. Where and when can I look in the sky to view Skylab?
14. "I need a liberal view and a conservative view." On what topic, the librarian asked. "Oh, any topic will do."
15. Where is the Teaching, Learning, Community Building located?