Winter Break

 The fall semester is almost over- and that means Winter Break! Wahooo!. Winter break is a wonderful time to enjoy friends, family, and FREEDOM from the pressures of school. Take some time this winter break to rejuvenate before the spring semester. Here are some things you might want to do:

• A little light reading: Right now, when you are struggling with finals and big research papers, reading a book probably sounds like the last thing you would like to do. But after a day or two, you just might enjoy curling up on the couch with a fun book to help you relax. Visit your local public library  for some fun reading material during the break. Here are some books that you might find interesting. (I will be enjoying Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown=).
• Food, Friends and Family: Whether you are celebrating a winter holiday or a Tuesday night, food, friends, and family are great for recovering from the pressure-filled semester. Try out a new recipe or restaurant, and just have fun!
• Visit the snow: Tahoe and other great winter destinations are not too far away. Take advantage of your empty schedule and plan a mini-trip to the snow. Whether you snowboard, ski, or just like hot cocoa, a snowy weekend may be perfect for you!
• Take in a movie: On the couch or in a theater, a movie is a great way to relax. Find out what your local movie theaters are playing, or rent a DVD from the video store or even the library.
• Try something new: Use your extra free time to try out a new activity or hobby. Check out an art exhibit or cultural event around town. Try out a new game or a new holiday tradition. Shake things up this year!

What are your plans for winter break? Feel free to add a comment below and share your tips for enjoying the break!

Be safe and have fun this winter break! We will see you all again in 2010!

Posted by Emily Bond

 This is the final post of Library Lines for 2009. See you in the spring semester!

LIBR 318 – Liberty 318?

No actually, Libr 318 refers to a class that will help students acquire the information competency skills necessary to conduct academic or personal research. 

That was a mouthful! But after taking this class you will be able to efficiently hunt down print and electronic resources you need to write or be knowledgeable about any topic! 

Ever feel like a pile of unidentified books is falling on you as soon as your teacher says a paper is due?

 It provides a step-by-step guide to the research process that is applicable to term papers, course work, and life-long learning.

 Wouldn’t it be liberating to finally walk into writing a paper with real hunting weapons in hand?

This class is offered in 2 formats this Spring 2010:

1) Face-to-Face, 1st 5 weeks,  Th  1:00- 4:00pm,  Section# 31588, Rm. L-245. Please call R. Perez @691-7629 for more info.

2) Online via D2L , 2nd 8 weeks, Section# 20079. Please call E. Bond @691-7249 for more info.

“Books are weapons in the war of ideas“, which features the slogan of the Council on Books in Wartime– which published Armed Services Editions, originally uploaded by Boston Public Library.

 Posted by Carolyn Miller

Did you know?

The reasons to have a Student Access Card are many, but here are just a few that come to mind.

> Your access card is also your library, print and transit card. It allows you to check out books from the library, print copies for 10 cents a page by loading money on the access card at the GoPrint station, and with a validation sticker acts as a transit card.

> Your Student Access Card allows you access to many discounts from local businesses, ranging from Subway Sandwiches to car towing.

> Local movie theatres also have fantastic deals on movie tickets for students if you have your ID- such as Tower movie theatre has Student Mondays where you receive a discounted ticket and a free bag of popcorn! How great is that when popcorn can sometimes be as much as the movie ticket?!

> If you are feeling like making a drive across the causeway the Mondavi Center in Davis has great performances and  very generous student discounts if you have your student access card.

To get your student access card, if you are at Cosumnes College, just go the Admissions and Records building which is also  the same building where the cafeteria is and go to the side window where you will get your picture taken and your card issued. If you are a student at any of the other Los Rios District campus schools, click here, to find out where to get your Student Access Card.

Registration Reminders

Although you may be bogged down studying for finals… the spring semester is around the corner, and it’s time to prepare!. Here are a few reminders as you register for classes:

1. 1. Log in to eServices and make sure your password works! (If you need to access eServices, there are computers available in the Library.)

2. Find out the date and time of your registration appointment. Register as early as possible to get the best selection of classes.

3. If you haven’t done so already, see a Counselor for registration advice. Visit the Counseling Department web site for more information.

4. Take a look at the Class Schedule to select your first and second choices for your spring classes.

5. Check  eServices to make sure that you don’t have any holds that would keep you from registering.

Remember, a new semester and a fresh start is right around the corner!

Posted by Emily Bond

New EBSCO Mobile Access!

CRC students, faculty, and staff can now access great research resources on-the-go through their iPhones, Blackberries, and other mobile devices. EBSCOhost, our primary research database provider, has rolled out a new interface that is “tailor-made for the smaller screens of mobile devices and offers the most important EBSCOhost features and functionality, right in the palm of your hand!” 

Click on the following link to access the mobile EBSCOhost applications for CRC:   http://0-search.ebscohost.com.lasiii.losrios.edu/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=crcmobile

Please note that off-campus users and people accessing the Internet through their cell phone provider will be prompted to login with their Los Rios login (W+ Student ID number and eServices password) the same way you do for off-campus access to our research databases. 

     Important Note!     

• EBSCO Mobile works best on newer mobile devices that utilize a graphic web browser.
• Due to the wide variety of mobile device operating systems and browsers, the CRC Library will not troubleshoot individual problems encountered logging in and accessing EBSCO Mobile. Please refer to your mobile service provider for troubleshooting problems with your mobile device.
• If you don’t know your Los Rios login (W+Student ID  number and eServices password), visit the eServices web page.

Enjoy your research on-the-go through EBSCO Mobile!

Posted by Emily Bond

Sailor Moon in the Library?!

You may not realize it but CRC has a great variety of extra curricular resources here on campus like student organized clubs and an abundance of  interesting materials available here in the library.

This week the Library has been promoting  and displaying artwork from the Anime Club that meets here on campus. This has given us an opportunity to also showcase the many how-to art books we have here for checkout.

Although everyone has their own preference in art and story genre, Anime art and stories tend to be understood and identified with by many young people in today’s generation. I’ve heard that  many people find that anime has a lot more depth than other cartoons because they work so deeply with character development: speaking to the emotions of many of their readers. Anime also touches on valuable life lessons such as death, betrayal, sense of justice, friendship, and most importantly the idea that nothing is truly “black and white”. Fans feel that there is a freedom of expression and opinion in Anime that is not found elsewhere.

Countless young people today are interested in expressing themselves not just physically, through the diversity of clothing styles, but how they are portrayed electronically to the world on the internet. Because of this there has been an outbreak in blogging and thus writing and picture posting; and many people are beginning to express themselves through stories and drawings. Perhaps some of you reading would like to learn more about drawing characters and writing stories!

If so please feel free to come check out our art and book display. Some of the titles you will find here are:

• People and Poses by Buddy Scalera
• Cartoon Basics by Duane Barnhart
• Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner
• How to Draw Manga by The Society for the Study of Manga Techniques

And Many More! Come and see for yourself. . .

Posted by

 Carolyn Miller

A follow-up to our great Valley-Hi Public Library Neighbor

The Valley-Hi North Laguna Public Library is up and running and offers our community and students numerous resources. To name a few that come to mind:

- The library has 3 study rooms that are a fantastic way to work on group projects or study for exams.

- For those in the Early Childhood Education tract the library has an extensive children’s collection which is highly useful for the literature review projects that are assigned.  The library also offers very unique programs for young children such as the dial a story, which is offered in both English and Spanish.

- For students doing research the library offers a great resource called LINK+ which is a way to access over 9 million items in the California and Nevada public and academic library system. This is a huge benefit to students researching topics that are hard to find information on or that are specialized.

- Another perk of having a public library card is that you have access to all of the Sacramento Public Library resources, such as their vast database and foreign language programs and their extensive collection of downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, eVideo and eMusic collection.

Visit Valley-Hi North Laguna branch today, get your free library card and start using all of these wonderful resources that are right across the street!

This week in history!

What do George Foreman, Magic Johnson, Yitzak Rabin, and cranberries all have in common?.

These people (and items) each had an important event happen this week in history.  How much do you know about history?  Take a moment to follow these links to learn about what was happening in the first week of November throughout time. You’ll learn some interesting facts! Find out who was elected president, what technologies were developed, and what was going on in politics.

This Week in History at the History Channel
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do

The Library of Congress: American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov04.html

The US Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/ThisWeek/default.htm

NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/history/thisweek/index.html

Now that you have learned a little about events around the world, think about what happened to you this week in your history. What were you doing a year ago? How about 5 or 10 years ago?

Sometimes it’s nice to take a look back at all of the things you have accomplished and done in your life. It’s easy to get caught up in and focus just on the future, but remember that past events and experiences played an important role in making you the person you are today.

Have a great week everyone!

eb

10 Reasons to Rent Textbooks

# 1  Cheaper to rent than to purchase-you can get books at fraction of a price.

 # 2   Hassle –free to look for someone to buy your textbooks.

 # 3   No guesswork on how much you have to sell your used textbook.

 # 4   You will be GREEN –no new trees will be cut because books are reused.

 # 5  Thinking of extending the rental? You’ll be granted various extensions. If you decide to purchase, there is easy conversion process.

 # 6  Frees up physical space in your house especially when the book you have purchased becomes outdated.

# 7  You can go digital.  Enjoy the advantages of using electronic books (E-books) because some rental textbooks are now available online.

# 8   Book rental companies have book condition guarantee which means that you’ll get your books in new or almost new condition.

 # 9   Enjoy the flexibility of renting it in different periods — that is by days, semesters, or quarterly.  

#10  Know someone who is taking the same class?  You can share it with a friend to further lower the cost.  Just set up a schedule between you and your friend to use it.

Think about it!

 

Posted by Rochelle Perez

Midterm Madness: 8 Tips for Surviving Midterms

The middle of the semester can be stressful and exhausting, especially when you have midterm exams and papers due! Don’t let the madness get you down!

Here are 8 tips to help you survive the midterm craze.

 

1. Start Early!

Take a moment to look over your syllabi and schedules to see what assignments and projects are coming up in your courses. Read the assignment descriptions, and get started on your projects as soon as possible. If you have a research paper, start looking for your sources early. That way you have time to check out the book you need or request it from another campus.  You can avoid some of the stress of midterms and finals by working on your assignments a little bit at a time, so get started early!

2. Organize and Prioritize!

When you have a number of assignments and tests all due at the same time, it can be overwhelming! You should plan out your study time to make the most of that time and to manage your stress. Start by organizing: Make a list of all of the assignments and tests that you have coming up. Then prioritize: Decide which assignment/project to work on first based on the due date and amount of work. Start on your top priority assignments and keep track of your progress as you go! 

 3. Form a Study Group!

Get together with your classmates to study for an upcoming test. You will find that it can be very helpful to review, share notes, and quiz one another. If you are struggling with a chapter or concept, ask your instructor or classmates to explain it to you. Schedule a study session or two to prepare for your next test!

 4.  Take a Nap & Eat an Apple!

I know that I’m not your mom, but her advice holds true! Lots of rest and good nutrition can help you stay healthy, energetic, and alert. This is especially important as the weather changes and cold and flu viruses are spreading around. There is nothing worse than feeling awful and having a lot of work to complete. Avoid consuming too much candy or energy drinks. Although you may get a temporary sugar rush and feel energized, afterwards you will crash.   Instead of eating junk food which provides empty calories, select healthy snacks while you study. Get lots of rest and eat your fruits and vegetables to stay energized and ready for success!

 5. Take a Break!

If you are constantly studying, researching, and writing, you will burn yourself out! Take a break to relax and let you mind recuperate. Read a book for fun. Watch a television show. Take a walk outside. Play a game. Give yourself a break from the high pressure of your school work, and your brain will thank you!

 6. Expect the Unexpected!

It never fails… just when you have your paper typed perfectly, and you are ready to print it out and turn it in. The printer breaks!!! Make sure that you leave yourself time for those inevitable problems: printer failure, running out of ink, forgetting your paper at home, etc. Try to get things done early so that if a calamity occurs you have time to recover!

 7. Back Yourself Up!

Always make sure that you have a saved copy of your assignments, and it doesn’t hurt to save it in a couple of places. Get a flash drive to save your assignments to so that you can easily access them from your home or campus computer. If you use a campus computer, you can save your work to your student drive (not the desktop), and attach it to an email for easy access.  Save your work as you type so that you won’t be left in a jam if there is a problem with the computer. Regardless of the way you choose to save your work, always double check to make sure that it is properly saved and that you can open the file again before you shut down your computer.

 8. Don’t Worry… It will all be over soon!

As hard as it may seem, keep your eye on the prize. You have already made it halfway through the semester, and you can definitely make it through the rest. Keep up the hard work, and it will pay off!

 

Posted by Emily Bond