Library search has changed

Library search has changed, bringing books, media, and database holdings to a one-search option.

The DCCCD libraries’ launched a new integrated library management system in June, creating a new way to search for materials.

The library catalog link on the Richland College Library home page will take students into the Primo search interface, which brings together library holdings for a one-stop search.

Richland students may search for books, media, database articles, newspaper articles, ebooks, and more, depending on information needs. Students – and professors – are encouraged to log into the library search screen at the beginning of their searches to take full advantage of new features.

Registered students will log in with district email, while district employees will use their 3X4 logins already in use.

Search is set to default to physical books and media at students' individual campus libraries; the drop down menu offers broader options.

Please contact your liaison librarian with any questions or to set up classroom orientations.

Focus Friday: Gale Virtual Reference Library

The Gale Virtual Reference Library is one of the most convenient and comprehensive databases that Richland Library offers, and DCCCD students can access it from anywhere there is an Internet connection.

The GVRL contains hundreds of full-text eBooks covering art, biography, business, education, environment, history, law, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, nation and world topics, religion, science, social science and technology.

My love for this database comes from its simplicity in browsing and retrieval. Use the search box located at the top of the home page or browse a particular eBook by clicking on the book itself, which will then display the table of contents.

The GVRL has many features, and allows students to save articles as they browse. By simply clicking the “Save Article” button located below each search result citation, the article is added to the “Saved Articles” list. Users can add up to 50 articles, which is great for writing in-depth research papers. From there, users can email saved articles to themselves or other users.

Create a Gale Bookmark in order to access saved articles after you have logged out.

Other features include the “Translate Article,” “Listen,” and “Download MP3” buttons. The “Translate Article” button includes a drop down list of 12 languages including Arabic, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), and French. Once the language is selected, a new window pops up with the translated article.

The “Listen” tool is also very impressive as the accent of the program reading the words sounds like a native speaker is reading. Users can even download articles and listen a later time. This is quite an amazing tool, and I think it is very good for people who are trying to improve in any language.

One of the most useful features I found was the citation tool, which will generate a citation of the article for you. Use this tool with discretion as some of the citations may have errors.

Working with this database is a great experience when used to its full potential. Check it out and see what you think.

Access it by going to the Richland College Library webpage, clicking on the green "Databases" tab, clicking on the “G” on the A-Z list, and clicking on the link to Gale Virtual Reference Library. (A log on is required outside of the library.)

C. Haynes

Question of the week: Who’s Aurora Leigh and where is she?

Richland holdings of Aurora Leigh

How many times have you found yourself digging around looking for a copy of  Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but you just couldn’t seem to find one? 

You’ve looked in the library catalog, but the Richland Library copies are checked out. Other district libraries have copies, but you don't have time to pick one up or to wait for a copy to come to Richland.

You could surf over to Amazon.com and purchase it for your Kindle, or you could search another library for a copy. You could go online to the Gutenberg Project to see if there is a copy there. You can Google it and find the University of Pennsylvania's digital library holding.

But...You will also need some literary criticism and maybe some biographical information about Elizabeth Barrett Browning, so just finding the digital version may not be enough. What if you easily could find a website that compiles multiple facets of literature and literary research?

Literature Online is one database that fits the bill. It is a web resource that contains full-text prose, full-text poetry, literary biographies, and literary criticism.

To get to Literature Online, follow this path: 

1. Go to the Richland library webpage at http://www.richlandcollege.edu/library.

2. Look for the green tabs in the middle of the home page and click on “Databases.

3. Click on the “L” on the A-Z list.

4. Scroll down and click on the “Literature Online” link.

5. Use the “Quick Search” box at the top left to find your work or author.

If you search Aurora Leigh, the database will give you results under the “Poetry,” “Criticism,” and “Reference” headings. For the poem, choose the first result under “Poetry.”

When you click on it, the title information looks like this:

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 1806-1861:  [from Poetical works (1897)]
Volume section
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 1806-1861 :
AURORA LEIGH.
A POEM IN NINE BOOKS. 1856. [from Poetical works (1897)]

Here, you can scroll through and start reading, click on the “Table of Contents” link to find the section you want, or you can print the 256 pages that comprise this selection. You may also click on the author page to find biographical information, bibliographies, and literary criticism.

Now, not only have you found Aurora Leigh, but you have also found a place where you can read all about her and her creator, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 
 
Keep searching,
R.D. 

Here’s the durable link to  Aurora Leigh in Literature Online. Students, instructors, and staff with current DCCCD I.D. can log on with their I.D. information.

This is the first of several entries about finding literary works and related information and criticism.

Librarians Do Gaga!

Do you think of librarians as grim, dour relics of a pre-Web era? Sarah Wachter, graduate student at the University of Washington Information School, set out to change that perception and promote the Big 6 method of teaching information literacy with her "Librarians Go Gaga" video which parodies Lady Gaga's "Pokerface."

Enjoy the video and remember, you can always "...use our catalog. Don't forget the databases" via the Richland College Library Web site or drop by the Reference Desk and visit with one of your energetic, highly skilled, search savvy information professionals. We'll "...blow your mind, show you how to find."



Learn more about Sarah Wachter and the video.

Photo by Courtesy Photo.
Performers sing in part of Lady Gaga library parody video

Mind mapping for a better search.

Having trouble narrowing your search? Try mind mapping. Mind maps can help you to brainstorm and narrow your topic. They help you to connect concepts and visualize relationships.

Mind maps can be very simple,

or they can also become very complex.

The University of Arizona library has developed a fantastic browser based mind mapping tool to help you focus your topic and create keywords for searching. It can be found at http://www.library.arizona.edu/help/tutorials/mindMap/index.php.

The next time you have trouble narrowing your topic and deciding on keywords try a mind map and see where it takes you.