Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage

Have you noticed the link to Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage in our list of databases? One key component of this new resource is S&P’s industry surveys, which has its own custom search template on the home page. Or, use the tab “Companies” and then go to “Corporation Records” to find company descriptions. Check out the “Financial Education” tab for terrific resources to help you increase your financial acumen.

Backfile Access to Market Share Reporter from Gale Directory Library

Are you having a problem accessing all issues of the Market Share Reporter available from the Gale Directory Library in the eBook section of the library's online resources?

Make sure to click on the “Include both current and backfile directories” radio button when you’re searching for something other than the current year.

Problem solved!

Web Apps, Sites, and Programs To Personalize Your Internet Experience

Dr. Jeff D. Borden, Chief Academic Officer of eCollege, presented "Personalization: How Far Can/Should/Will We Go?" on the main campus for Faculty Development Day, Jan. 5, 2012.

He mentioned many Internet sites and applications for personalizing online educational experiences.

Here are some of my favorites from Dr. Borden's presentation:

• Wordle: Use this site to create colorful "word clouds" from text you provide.
• Done in Sixty Seconds: You will find several examples of movies "done" in 60 seconds on YouTube.com, but this company, also known as DISS, can produce one for you. Check the site for pricing. (Students beware! This isn't free.)
• EnterZon: Sponsored by the Office of Chinese Language Council International and Michigan State University, use this multi-player interactive game to learn Chinese language and culture. Registration required.
• The Mixxer: Hosted by Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, uses Skype to connect language learners from around the globe. Post a blog entry and have a native speaker correct it or make comments. Find a language learning partner and share your skills as a native speaker. Teachers can set up special groups for their own students. Free.
• Sophia: Parents, teachers, and students are invited to register and join this free online learning community. Their motto is "Teach what you know. learn what you don't." User-generated content is already organized into "packets" to get you started.
• Edistorm: Sign up for a 30-day free trial or choose a subscription option, then use this site to collaborate with others at a distance, online using laptops, mobile devices, or SmartBoards. You can post virtual sticky notes, edit them, make comments, vote, and then export results in various formats. 
• Crocodoc: Once the brainstorming is done and you are working on a project, use this free, online site to view documents, PDFs or images, edit and mark them up, make comments, and share or embed them. 
• InnoCentive: Businesses and organizations post real-life problems on the site, individuals can sign up as "solvers," and the power of crowdsourcing ultimately leads to solutions that improve the world and pay out cash prizes of $5000 and up for the winning solution.  
• But wait, there are more! Check out Quirky, HistoryPin, HeadMagnet, SCVNGR, and YNAB. Most are free, some require a fee. Caveat emptor!  
  
  
   

What's New for January?

New Books on Library Cart

Wow! January flew by, didn't it? I had a great time at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, Jan. 20-23, 2012. Now that I'm back in the office, I thought I should tell you about some of the new materials that have been added to the library. Here are a few highlights:
1. Salem Literature: includes both the Critical Insights and Critical Works collections, featuring such authors as Willa Cather, Stephen King, Barbara Kingsolver, and John Updike, and such works as "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Metamorphosis," "Mrs. Dalloway," and "Things Fall Apart." In addition to EBSCO's Literary Reference Center Plus and Gale's Literature Resource Center, Salem now provides one more source of in-depth literary criticism for your research.
2. New Books List: Check this LibGuide for the most recently added books and eBooks, organized by subject. Links to the eBooks are included in the lists for you.
3. Sage Premier eJournals: This is a multidisciplinary collection of electronic journals in full-text from Sage Journals. Check out the "browse journals by discipline" feature on the landing page.
4. Science Direct: This new collection covers physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities. Pre-med students might find this of particular importance.
5. Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage: Another new resource especially for our business major and students in the MBA program.

Please let us know what you think of our newest acquisitions. We appreciate your input and feedback.

National STEM Video Game Challenge

The National STEM Video Game Challenge opened November 21. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The American Library Association is an "outreach partner" for this year's competition. 

Submit your original video game concepts and designs in four categories (middle school, high school, collegiate, and educator) through March 12.  

The site provides resources, such as Gamestar Mechanic, Scratch, Gamemaker, Kodu, and some open source materials. So, even if you have never written a line of computer code, you still can create a game based on your amazing game concept.

Join Library on Twitter and Facebook

The library now has its own Facebook page and Twitter account. We'd love to hear from you. 

Finding the Latest LibGuides from the Library

Your teaching faculty and faculty librarians work hard to keep you informed about library materials. LibGuides help us keep you informed. Some guides show you how to find library materials to use for a specific class or research assignment. Other LibGuides provide you with general information, such as the newest books and eBooks added to the collection or how to use your mobile devices to look things up on the library's website. 

To find the newest LibGuides, click the "Recent Guides" link in the middle of the LibGuides home page. There also are options for featured and most popular guides. Or, simply search all guides by keyword. We hope you find our LibGuides helpful and appreciate your feedback and comments.