Ebooks

There may be some students seeking help with ebooks.  (There's a big reading assignment for a history class.) I assured them they could come to the desk for help, so here's where to look when you need help help: http://guides.gpc.edu/mobile

Basically, to read an e-book online is very easy: just open and read page by page. There is a slight difference between our 2 ebook databases.  Ebooks on Ebscohost (the old NetLibrary) comes to us through GALILEO and so requires a GALILEO login from off campus.  It also allows only one user at a time. Academic Ebooks on Ebscohost is much more liberal with unlimited simultaneous users.  Since we license it directly, it requires the GPC username and password for off-campus use. 

To "checkout" (download) the book, users must create an Ebsco account (free on the database homepage) and install a reader software (varies by device).  Look on Sonya's LibGuide for more help or see the help section from Ebsco at: http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_id=5542

Good luck with this.  If you want a live demo sometime, we can arrange that.

Please Use Ref Desk Printer

The library got a new printer at Circulation last November, which has already been used to print 3000 pages. The cartridges are pretty expensive, so we want to conserve them as much as possible, with circulation functions as the priority use.

Therefore, please use the ref desk printer whenever you print. That means that you'll need to change the printer selection, since the circ printer is the default on both ref desk computers for most of our profiles. Many of us already make the switch, with only an occasional oops when we forget. 

Thanks so much for your cooperation on this.

How to convert a PDF to a Word doc?

No one knows what kind of requests or questions will come your way at the reference desk. Today a student wanted to convert a PDF to a Word doc. I must say it was a challenge but I found this website that provided step by step instructions for this process.
Nitro is the website https://www.pdftoword.com/.

Step one: Select your PDF file to convert
Step two: Email converted file to:
Step three: Convert my PDF to Word

In addition, you may convert Excel and Powerpoint files.

Primary Documents --again

Dr. Simson's US History II classes ares starting their research on the eras of reconstruction and westward expansion.  They are organized in five topical groups to find both primary and secondary sources.
The groups are:

1. Presidential Reconstruction - how the president (Andrew Johnson) and other key national figures related to the president were involved in the years after the Civil War. That might include cabinet members, Democrats and moderate Republicans in the north, freedmen under black codes, and former Confederate army members.
2. Congressional Reconstruction - Members of Johnson's cabinet and radical Republicans such as Thaddeus Stevens who wanted complete reconstruction of the south.
3. Common people during reconstruction - particularly in the south, white and black, freemen and freedmen, missionaries, etc.
4. Wild West - Indian chiefs and generals. Black Kettle, Red Cloud, Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull, Kit Carson, George Hearst, and George Custer.
5. Wild West- common folks: businessmen, miners, railroad workers, farmers, cowboys, gun slingers, women (of good or ill repute), entertainers.

The assignment is in the assignment folder at the desk. (Sorry that print is so small.)

 It will be very helpful, especially for primary documents, to start with the LibGuide at:
http://guides.gpc.edu/HIST2112Simson

There are two good reference works noted on the LibGuide--both found at Call number E668. That will give some background to those just beginning their inquiry. Discover GALILEO also has a nice research starter on Reconstruction. 


More information:  Feel free to use open web searching to find repositories of information needed by students.  For instance, on the topic of missionary involvement in reconstruction south, check the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Historical sites related to their mission societies.

The IT department sent out an email this week to the students. You may get questions so I wanted you to see what they received. It deals with GPC email on their phone or tablet, using Lynda.com to improve skills and getting Microsoft Office FREE. Click on the IT Update link below for more information.

IT Update

Collection Development Digest

Here’s an update on Dunwoody’s Collection Development.

 ·         Pop Down – no longer exists.  Books that were in Pop Down have either been deselected or added to the regular circulating collection.  Effective January 2015 books moved from popular will either be added to the regular circulating collection or discarded.  Thanks to Barbara and her students for helping to make this happen.

 

·         Weeding ­­ – may begin January 30^th.  Barbara will withdraw items.  Follow regular weeding procedures (last copy, etc.). The Inventory Project will begin in late Spring.  More details to come on the Inventory Project later in the semester. 

·         Collecting Browsing Periodical Statistics – Carmel and I will be collecting browsing periodicals statistics this semester.  Please encourage students to leave the periodicals on carts so we can count each title’s usage.  We will count usage daily.  Signage will be placed in the periodicals area and a clipboard for us to record statistics will be kept at the reference desk.
 
·         Scavenger Hunt – Student Life will have a scavenger hunt on Tuesday, January 13^th 11am-3pm.  Students are encouraged to discover library resources (DVD’s, books etc.) on wellness.  You may be asked about where the wellness books are located. A display of some of our wellness resources will be located in the R section (see below).  Students will take a selfie with the display to illustrate that they have found the library’s wellness resources.  After students complete the scavenger hunt, they will have a chance to get inside of the cash cube to win some cash.  I asked if we could participate, but I think that’s cheating.  :  )





 

Welcome Back

Hello Colleagues!

We've missed you.  As you probably know, you're coming back to some changes.

First of all, notice the new furniture:  Long tables and chairs in the atrium, new chairs at each student computer station, and really cool little barrel stools at the ref desk. In addition the upholstery on the lounge chairs has been repaired.  All in all, we're looking rather spiffy!

Secondly, they are working on the elevators.  Look at your email from Tamika from last Friday for details.  We probably will know only day by day which elevator is functional. Unfortunately, we have no alternative to get people to the 3rd or ground floors when the interior elevator is out of order. We can, however still help them get the books they need to check out.  If someone who is mobility challenged needs resources from the stacks downstairs and  gives you the call numbers of those books, please retrieve them and bring them to the student. Because we are usually double staffed on the ref desk, we hope this system will work during the time the elevator is out. Please let us know if you have a better idea or if there are any problems with this approach.  We can always brainstorm alternatives.

Third, and finally, we know that within 18 months GPC will merge with Georgia State University. So far, that fact is all we know.  Here are links to a couple of sites that might give clues to the process:
FAQ from BOR: http://www.usg.edu/images/news_files/GSU_and_GPC_Consolidation_FAQs.pdf
Q &A with Mark Becker, GSU President http://www.gsu.edu/2015/01/06/consolidation-qa-president/
There will be a town hall meeting tomorrow with Presidents Becker and Watts.  We'll keep you posted on developments. 

In the meantime, let's keep our focus on our students and their success--AS WE ALWAYS HAVE!