IM @ Wake Tech Libraries

Starts: September 4, 2007

By adding, "waketechreference" or "wakereference" to your "Buddy List" you can chat online with a librarian. You can use any of the following chat platforms: AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and/or Google Talk.

Hours of Service*:

Monday-Friday from 9 AM - 1 PM

If you don't have an instant messaging/email account on any of these chat platforms, no worries... go to the Wake Tech Libraries' website and chat with a librarian by typing your question in the chat window.

*Need help during the off-hours, send your questions to NCKnows, librarians available to answer your research questions online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Wake Tech Book Club picks for 2007-2008

Wake Tech has a book club and is soliciting new members to join! Faculty, staff and students are all welcome to join in.

In 2007-2008 we will most likely be reading the following titles:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by Rowling for September
Mermaid Chair by Kidd for October
Out of the Night That Covers Me by Devoto for November (Book Club kit from Wake County)
Emma by Austen for December/January (Book Club kit from Wake County)
Boomsday by Buckley for February
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Vreeland for March
Three Junes by Glass for April (Book Club Kit from Wake County)
Either Digital Fortress or DaVinci Code by Brown for May (it was a tie)
Big Stone Gap by Trigiani for June (Book Club kit from Wake County)

Please feel free to join the book club to discuss the books above. Usually we meet during the last week of the month at noon. Stay tuned for more details regarding dates and location.

Your Wake Tech Student ID - love it!

Keep in mind that your Wake tech student ID is necessary. Here are two important reasons to have your ID:

1. To use the Wake tech student shuttle bus that leaves hourly from Moore Square
2. To access all library services

In the past IDs were not really important but now they are. Please get one asap and come over to the library to activate your library account. Have your ID with you while on campus.

Welcome back students!

Fall semester classes begin August 15th, 2007 - welcome back. Please make it part of your orientation to stop by the library. Ask at the main circulation desk to pick up a map of the library and follow along with our audio tour so that you can find library materials easily. You can even borrow the library's MP3 player to follow along. You can borrow headphones too!

You need a current student ID to borrow the MP3 player and headphones. If you have your ID it is easy to get a library account and check out what you need - no problem.

Students: Avoid Blocks!

Remember to return all library books and pay all fines BEFORE the end of the semester (July 26) to prevent BLOCKING of your records in the Registrar's Office.

A blocked record willl prevent you from viewing your grades or obtaining your transcript.

Students: Bookstore Info - Important!

New bookstore Hours:

Monday July 23rd, Open
Tuesday. July 24th Closed
Wednesday, July 25th Closed
Monday, July 30th Reopens as a Follett Bookstore

Daily operating hours will be the same for now.

The new Bookstore Manager will be Mr. Larry Long. Larry comes to us from a Community College in Jacksonville, Florida and has been managing bookstores since 1999. He's been with Follett since 2001.

Bookmarking on your MP3 player - what is the story?

If you are an audiobook listener and have wondered why you can't return to your place when you stop, here is the article that explains it all. There is also a nifty chart of MP3 players with great bookmarking functions - if you are looking to upgrade. Don't forget that you have access to a lot of free audiobook material via Howell Library's subscription to NetLibrary via NCLive.


http://www.andrewdavidson.com/articles/mp3-players-with-bookmarks/

Students who need to take a test in LE 15 - FYI

The Distance Education Testing Center, Howell Library Building, Room LE-15 will be closed from July 21, at 12 noon until August 15, 9 a.m. for renovations.

Students taking tests during the week of July 23, through July 27, must come to the Engineering Technology Building, Room ETB-219.

The testing center will be closed completely from Friday, July 27, at 4 p.m. until Wednesday, August 15, 9 a.m.

NCLive Password will change Fall Semester

Wake Tech faculty and students:

Keep in mind that the NCLive password will change beginning fall semester. Please make an effort to get the password from the library before you need it to do your research. The best way to get the password, which changes every semester, is to stop by the library and pick up an NCLive Bookmark.

Remember, your tuition, in part, pays for your access to NCLive, so use it early and often! You can access full text, scholarly, peer reviewed material via EBSCOhost and other databases available through the library website.

Brand New Audio

Road trippers! The new audio books (on CD) are now catalogued and available on the shelf in the Media Center / Audiovisual section of Howell Library. Check them out!

Here is a partial list:
- Sidney Poiter's The Measure of A Man
- James Ellroy's Black Dahlia
- Calvin Trillin's About Alice
- Cormac McCarthy's The Road

Howell Library on You Tube!

Wake Tech Book Club meets Wednesday June 27th

Wake Tech’s Book Club will meet in Flavors Café at noon on Wednesday, June 27th. We will be discussing Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass.

The Golden Compass features an 11 year old protagonist, Lyra Belacqua, accompanied by her shape-shifting demon, on a quest to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from the evil “Gobblers,” who are using them as part of a sinister experiment in the Far North. Lyra also must rescue her father from the Panserbjourne, a race of talking, armored mercenary polar bears holding him captive.

The Golden Compass is Book #1 of Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. The trilogy continues with the following titles: The Subtle Knife (Book #2) and The Amber Spyglass (Book #3).

If you have read any of the books in Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy, please post your comments, we would like to hear what you think...

Feel free to also post your title recommendations; perhaps it will be the next Wake Tech's Book Club selection…

Summer Reading Exchange

Looking to “Recycle” your paperback and/or hardcover books? Are you going to be traveling by car, train or plane…it doesn’t matter where you go…if you need a book to help pass the time…stop by the library to pick out a title!

The Summer Reading Exchange is located on your left as you enter the Main Campus (Bruce I. Howell) Library. Currently, the reading exchange includes titles by the following authors: Jeffrey Archer, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Mary Higgins Clark, Frank Herbert, Tony Hillerman, Margaret Maron, and many more.

Hurry in before these titles are gone…

No need to check these titles out at the circulation desk…just take a book that you wish to read! When you’re finished with it, just return the book OR donate another title to the exchange so that others can enjoy it.

Don’t have classes on main campus? Visit the reading exchange display at the Health Sciences Library to check out their book selections!

Cleaning out your bookcase…donations are always welcomed!

Listen to your Summer Reading

Did you know that you can check out an MP3 player from Howell Library? Well, you can!

Here is how we use it:

You request a book from NetLibrary to be loaded on our 1G Creative Zen Nano MP3 player.

The Media Librarian loads it up for you & e-mails you when it is ready.

You check it out at the circulation desk for three weeks.

That is it.

OH - and it is a BYOH situation right now: Bring Your Own Headphones (a.k.a. Bring Your Own Hygiene)

Need to Find Career Information?

Are you looking for career information? You can find information about career fields/industries or specific occupations using the following resources:

Books (Print)
Try searching the library's online catalog: http://library.waketech.edu/catalog.html. Select your library location and in the search box, type in "Careers" or your specific occupation to find books on your topic. To find these books on the shelf, please note down the item's call number, located in the "Item Information" tab under "Holdings".

Electronic Books
To locate electronic books (and audio books) on your career topic, you can search "NetLibrary" via NCLive (http://www.nclive.org). To access this resource from off-campus, you need to obtain a username and password from your local library. In the NetLibrary search box, you can type in "Careers" or your specific occupation to find electronic full-text books on your topic.

Electronic Articles
You can also use NCLive (http://www.nclive.org) to find general articles on your selected career or occupation. Depending on the vendor (from the main page, click "Browse Resources" then "Vendor" to view the list of vendors) that you choose, you should be able to find both general descriptions of your career, as well as stories of those individuals who are working in the field.

Testing Guides and Practice Exams
Need to take an entrance exam? Are you looking for study aids or practice exams?
You can access study aids and online practice exams via "Learning Express Library" (Learning Express) or "Testing & Education Reference Center" (Gale). Both of these databases are available on NCLive (http://www.nclive.org).

Internet Sites
General
America's Career InfoNet http://www.acinet.org
Find wages and employment trends, occupational requirements, and state by state labor market conditions.

Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco
Handbook describes what workers do on the job as well as working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.

O*Net OnLine http://online.onetcenter.org
Find occupations by title, classification, and by skill.

Specific
Careers in Real Estate http://www.realtor.org/realtororg.nsf/pages/careers
Provides brief information on various careers in real estate.

Nursing Careers http://www.nurseweek.com/career/
Provides brief overview of specific jobs in the nursing field.

Today's Military http://www.todaysmilitary.com
Provides background information on all types of military careers.

If you need help navigating any of these resources, please feel free to ask a librarian!

Having trouble with Blackboard? Excuses, excuses...

After July 7th 2007 -that's right: 07/07/07 - the new URL for 24/7 Blackboard support for students will be:

http://d2.parature.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4288

So, instead of just e-mailing your instructor that at 2 a.m. Blackboard wouldn't let you turn in your assignment, ask Blackboard to help you out!

Try our new Custom Search Engine from Google

If you would like to get your scholarly information from open access, scholarly peer-reviewed journals, look no further. Below, the Google Custom Search Engine searches just the journals in English that are found at www.doaj.org the website for the Directory of Open Access Journals.

Summer Movie Round Up

A few weeks ago, the New York Times published their much awaited "Summer Movies" section of the news paper. There are articles about the following films:

• Knocked Up
• Nancy Drew
• The Simpsons Movie

As well as profiles of these actors:

• Alicja Bachleda-Curus (Polish actress in the film "The Girls Next Door")
• Dane Cook (stand up comedian acting in "Mr. Brooks")
• Marion Cotillard (French actress playing Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose")
• Nikki Blonsky (first time in movies playing Tracy Turnblad in "Hairspray")
• Nathan Fillion (romantic love interest in "Waitress")

You can check out the Times' reviews of these films after they appear in the paper at:

http://movies.nytimes.com/ref/movies/reviews/index.html

Some films of note for July:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (of course)

Interview

The Camden 28

Rescue Dawn

This is England

The Willow Tree

Try to view something new this summer!

Photo ID Schedule for Wake Tech Students

PHOTO IDENTIFICATION SCHEDULE *
LOCATION: MAIN CAMPUS – STUDENT SERVICES BUILDING, ROOM 121 F

Remember - to access many library resources, you must have a valid Wake Tech ID.

To be elligible for a Wake Tech student ID, you must:

1. Show a picture ID (e.g. driver's license, passport) to verify your identity
2. Be registered for a summer or fall 2007 class at Wake Tech
3. Have paid all tuition bills

May 29, 2007 – August 3, 2007
Monday: 9 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – Noon & 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – Noon & 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – Noon


August 6, 2007 – August 24, 2007
Monday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.


August 26, 2007 – December 20, 2007
Monday: 9 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – Noon & 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – Noon & 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – Noon

*ID Office is Closed on the following dates:
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
December 21, 2007 – January 1, 2008


For questions, call: 866-5405

Road Trip Accessories

Howell Library has just received a big batch of audio books! We selected mostly new and unabridged titles and they are great to listen to when you are on a long drive. Many of the titles are also Audie or other award winners.

Headed North? Check out Canadian author and Pulitzer Prize winner Alice McDermott's book After This.

Headed South? Enjoy Chilean author Isabel Allende's latest book on CD Ines of my Soul.

Headed East? British author Ali Smith's book The Accidental is an award winner.

Headed West? Listen to James Ellroy's L.A. noir Black Dahlia.

Staying at home and working on the garden? Check out Barbara Kingsolver's latest book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle about her family's attempt to sustain themselves for a year on what they raise.

Our audio book collection has something for everyone!

How to forward e-mail from Eagle Cruiser

At the library we ask everyone to use their Eagle Cruiser e-mail as the main point of contact for Howell Library. For those of you who don't check your Eagle Cruiser e-mail regularly (or ever) here are the steps to follow to set up your Eagle Cruiser e-mail to forward to the account you check the most.

1. Log into Eagle Cruiser


2. Choose the "My Cruiser" Tab


3. Choose "Personal Tools"


4. Choose "Email"


5. Choose "Filters" in the "Tools" box on the left side of the screen


6. Click on the "Forwarding Filters" tab


7. Type int he full e-mail address to forward to. We suggest also clicking the "keep copy in INBOX" check box so you can always have a back up of your Eagle Cruiser e-mail.


8. Click on SAVE or the forwarding filter will not be set.

Welcome!

If you followed this link form the front page of the Wake Tech Library web site, welcome to the new Howell Library blog. Please scroll through our archived messages to see what you've missed.

We hope to add tips and guides for using the library as well as discussions about hot topics in library-land such as copyright issues, book and web site recommendations, library service changes coming up at Wake Tech and research links that will help you along in your studies.

Check back early and often and please comment on the blog when you see something you particularly like or find useful. We'd love to hear from you!

Howell Library Intern rocks the instruction

Howell Library has been enjoying the input of its first-ever library student intern. On Monday May 21st at 3pm the intern, Rebecca, will be presenting the culmination of her semester's work for the reference department at Wake Tech.

Please stop by the instruction section of Howell Library to see her presentation.

Check your library account online!

Want to know if you have library fines that will block your grades or registration? Want to know if a book you ordered from another campus has arrived? Want to know when your books are due? Want to renew your books before you get fined?

YES!

You can check your library account online - no problem. On the library front page is a short video tutorial (requires Windows Media Player) showing you how - step by step.

You need your student ID number: It is the seven digit number, not your SSN, that you used to register. The PIN is 1234 (unless you changed it.)

Wake Tech Student ID cards R Mandatory

All students need a student ID to check out library material - including reserves - from the library.


Don't get burned! The more you need the book, the more you need an ID.

FAQ -

Q: Do I need an ID if I am just taking one class while home for the summer?

A: Yes.

Q: I've never been here to the library. Do I need an ID to check out a book?

A: Yes.

Q: Where do I get an ID?

A: 121F in the Student Services Building (SSB).

Wake Tech Book Club meets Wednesday May 30th

This month Wake Tech's Book Club will meet in Flavors Cafe at noon on Wednesday May 30th. We will be discussing Denise Mina's book Field of Blood.

Scottish crime writer Denise Mina, best known for her Exile trilogy, has written a book which we hope to be the first in series featuring reporter Paddy Meehan.

Even if you can't make it to the book club meeting, if you've read the book, please post your comments here - we'd love to hear them.

Wake Tech Libraries hope to start a book review/readers advisory section of this blog for the Wake Tech community's enjoyment. Please feel free to post a book review or make title suggestions for the book club!

New Titles from NetLibrary for May 2007!

Please check out the new titles in NetLibrary by clicking NCLive's icon on the front page of the library website. From the NCLive site, to access NetLibrary find the heading "Browse By Type" (left column) on the main page. Next, click the link: "E-Books & Audiobooks" then click "NetLibrary" to begin searching for titles. If you are accessing NCLive from off-campus, you will need to obtain a password from the library.

There are hundreds of new titles added every semester. You can listen to any of these titles on the Creative Zen Nano MP3 player, available for checkout form Howell Library. Contact the Media Services Librarian for more information.