Read it before you see it & win a copy of The Hobbit

Book review on “The Hobbit” by Adam Brennan, TCC Librarian

I can still remember the first time I read J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and followed Bilbo Baggins on his journey through the wilds of Middle Earth. Like so many before me, “The Hobbit” was my first forray into the fantasy genre and kindled an addiction to reading that lasts today. “The Hobbit” was a gateway book that led me to C. S Lewis, Robert Jordan, Robert E. Howard, Jack Vance and others.

Tolkien is an accomplished master of the High Fantasy epic (fantasy stories that revolve around defeating an evil to save the world), but you won’t find that in “The Hobbit.” Instead, you’ll find a traditional journey narrative along the likes of “The Odyssey.” The main protagonist Bilbo Baggins accompanies a band of fortune seeking dwarves along a string of adventures and proves to be an unlikely hero. 

It’s a light and fun book; perfect for the holiday season. Tolkien keeps the pacing quick and the adventure coming in this prequel to the “Lord of the Rings” series.

Check out The Hobbit today from the TCC library.  Click here to visit the catalog. 

Like the TCC Library on Facebook to find out how to win a copy of “The Hobbit.”  A copy will be given to one lucky winner.

Nobel Prize Winners and Library E- Resources

Nobel Prize Winners and Library E-Resources

Who are Brian Kobilka, Robert Lefkowitz, Alvin Roth, Lloyd Shapley and Mo Yan? What do they have in common. Two electronic resources (e-resources) at the TCC Library website can answer these questions.

All five are 2012 Nobel Prize winners, announced in October. Kobilka and Lefkowitz won the prize in chemistry. Roth and Shapley won the prize for economic sciences. Yan (the pseudonym for writer Guan Moye) won the prize in literature.

You can learn about the winners of the prize in chemistry and economic sciences at the Biography in Context database by Gale.

Kobilka and Lefkowitz studied how the human body uses protein receptors to sense outside conditions and sends messages to human cells.

Roth and Shapley’s work on market design and matching theory has helped matched marriage partners and has helped match doctors to hospitals, public schools to students, and organ donors to recipients.

Gale's Literature Criticism Online has a detailed biography of Yan, a novelist, and a critical view of his combination of magical realism with the graphic oppression and brutality of mid-20th Century village life in China.

You can access the Gale e-resources from the Library homepage (http://library.tulsacc.edu ) by clicking on the yellow Reference tab. (authored by Demetrius B. Images from Gale)

Learn about the elections at the Library website

In slightly more than two weeks, Americans will decide a closely-fought Presidential race and many important Congressional races.  Learning as much as possible about these races is important to you. 

          James Madison, former President of the United States and father of the U.S. Constitution, once said about political knowledge that “a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives”. (italics added). The TCC Library has several research guides that can help you start getting this important knowledge.

          Available at the Library website and created by a TCC Library staff member , a research guide provides one-stop research help and useful academic resources for a topic or TCC class--like the 2012 elections or political science.

          The US Elections 2012 research guide links you to information about political parties and information about the Presidential, Congressional, and Oklahoma elections.  You can also take a quick quiz to find out where your beliefs fit on the political spectrum.

          You can get political news (CNN Political Ticker) and the background information about the President, Congress, U.S. Supreme Court, and American political parties to help you better understand the elections at the POLS 113 American Federal Government research guide.

          At the Controversial Issues research guide, you can learn about important issues in the elections (i.e the economy, women’s rights, energy) using Issues and Controversies and Points of View Reference Center--two interesting electronic resources at the Library website.
                   You can access a research guide from the Library homepage by clicking on the yellow Research Guides tab. (Authored by Deme B. ) Image from Albert Milliron at nowpublic.com

Don't Read This! It's Banned Book Week

Don't Read This!

Sept. 30th - Oct. 6th is Banned Books Week which is sponsored by American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. Banned Books Week draws attention to censorships efforts by listing titles that are frequently challenged in public and secondary school libraries.

The Top Ten Challenged Books list is released by ALA OIF each spring. See the most frequently challenged titles and the reasons listed below.

ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series) by Lauren Myracle

Reasons: Offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa

Reasons: Nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: Anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence

My Mom is having a baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy,” by Dori Hillestad Butler
Reasons: Nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

 “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

 
Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reasons: Nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint



“Brave New World,” by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: Insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit

“What My Mother Doesn’t Know,” by Sonya Sones
Reasons: Nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit

Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Reasons: Drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Reasons: Offensive language; racism

10/29 Library Question of the Week Topic: Math

Topic : Math

Sharpen your research skills and dazzle your friends, professors and classmates by participating in the Library Question of the Week Fall 2012 Event Extravaganza. Every question answered correctly earns you 100 points. The high score at the end of the semester wins, and scores are posted on Blackboard and in every campus library.

Check the Blackboard Library Tab (after logging into BB) every Monday morning at 9:30 AM for new questions, and be on the lookout for bonus point opportunities!!

The People Have Spoken! Our Name Change Survey Results

In response to the Name Change Survey that we distributed in the fall of 2011, a large majority of students and faculty said they preferred "Library" to "Learning Resources Center" or "LRC". 

It is official: we are now a Library. Our signs and fliers might not be changed immediately, but in our hearts we'll know!

Congratulations to Rae and Jaclynn!

Congratulations to Metro student Rae and West student Jaclynn for winning tickets to the Cain's Ballroom! Rae won 2 tickets to the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Jaclynn won two tickets to Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights. From all of us at the LRC's, we hope you have a great time, and thanks for using your TCC Learning Resources Center.

Another Chance to Visit the Historic Cain's Ballroom from your LRC

Have you heard? The LRC's are offering another chance to win tickets to the historic Cain's Ballroom. Two tickets to Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights on August 10th, and two tickets to the Chris Robinson Brotherhood on August 11th. Enter in person at any of the 4 LRC's. Must be a student to enter and only one entry per event. Good Luck!

Cain's Ballroom Winner

Congratulations to NE student Letitia for winning 2 tickets to the Dr. P. show at the Cain's Ballroom! Thank you to everyone who entered, and the Cains Ballroom for their donation. Keep your eye's peeled for the next contest!

Cain's Tickets Drawings

Cain's Ballroom Tickets Update-- Unfortunately, MOE. has canceled their tour and their stop at the historic Cain's Ballroom, so the drawing for tickets to their show on Thursday, July 26th has been canceled. However, the winner of the drawing to the Dr. P. show at the Cain's on August 8th will be announced later on today. Best of luck to all who entered, and keep your eyes open for more giveaways from the LRC!

Giveaways!

We are happy to announce a drawing to win free tickets to two upcoming concerts at Cain's Ballroom. The contest is open to all TCC students; just come into any LRC to enter. The first concert is moe., on Thursday, July 26th. The second concert is Doctor P, on Wednesday, August 8. The winner of each drawing will receive two (2) tickets. The drawing is open from from Monday, July 2 through Wednesday, July 11. Each student may enter once for each concert. Winners will be notified by e-mail on Monday, July 16. moe. is a jam band, ala Grateful Dead, Phish, and Widespread Panic. Dr. P is an English dubstep producer and DJ. Cain's Ballroom is a historic Tulsa music venue which for many years was the home of Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, the founders of western swing music. It's a place every Tulsan should see at least once. At the Southeast Campus we have coupons for a free hot or cold drink from Quiktrip. Come by the LRC, enter the drawing and pick up a coupon for a QT drink!

Reading for Fun!

Reading for enjoyment is a great way to improve your vocabulary as well as tone up your mind. Recently we’ve ordered some new books and they are beginning to arrive. We’re expanding our fiction and graphic novel collections, but we’re also adding some new non-fiction as well. Here is just a sample of some of our new offerings.

New Graphic Novel!

New Fiction!

New Non-fiction!

New Memoir!

Known Issue: Assignment Calculator

The Assignment Calcukator is having a problem with selecting dates (start date, end date) from the calendars when entering an assignment. This problem has become prevalent with the latest versions of several popular browers like Internet Explorer and Firefox. This prevents the Assignment Calculator from displaying your dated list of steps that would lead you to the completion of the assignment.The problem is being worked on and should be resolved soon.

Congratulations to our Winners!

The TCC LRC's congratulate students Alicia, Megan, and Sepideh! Alicia was the winner of the National Library Week grand prize of a Kindle reader. Megan and Sepideh each won a $25 gift card. Thank you all for helping us celebrate National Library Week. We wish you the best of luck on your finals and don't forget to come see us over the summer for some fun reading.

Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day Thursday, April 26, by carrying a poem with you on that day and sharing it with your family, friends, and classmates.

There are four ways to select a poem--visit the reference/information desk at any TCC Learning Resources Center (LRC) and pick up a poem; download a poem from the National Poem in Your Pocket website (http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/409 ); download poetry to your iPhone, using PoemFlow (a free application from the iTunes Store available at www.poets.org/m); or photocopy a poem from a book of poetry by your favorite poet (find the book using the LRC catalog at http://library.tulsacc.edu  or use a book that you own).

Poem In Your Pocket Day has been celebrated since 2004. Historically, poems have been stored in pockets in a variety of ways--from the commonplace books of the Renaissance to the pocket-sized publications for Army soldiers in World War II to cell phones almost everybody carries in their pocket today.

The LRC, along with the Academy of American Poets, sponsors Poem in Your Pocket Day as part of the celebration of April as National Poetry Month.

Help the TCC Learning Resources Centers Celebrate National Library Week and Win a Kindle!

Help the TCC Learning Resources Centers Celebrate National Library Week and Win a Kindle!

Visit any of the four TCC LRC locations at Northeast, Southeast, Metro or West campuses the week of April 9th through the 13th and enter to win a Kindle. You must enter in person by the end of the day on April 13th. And while your there, ask what we can do for you. Do you need information for a paper or project? Do you know how to access the library databases from home? Do you need to have your password reset? Whatever your need, we can help or send you to someone who can.

And don't forget to stop by your local public library as well. Happy National Library Week and come see us soon!

Name Change?

Update: Thanks to everyone who took our poll! We got a tremendous number of responses, and we appreciate you taking them time to help us out.

The Tulsa Community College Learning Resources Center is considering a recommendation to change its name, and we'd like input from as many people as possible, including students, faculty and staff at all levels.

Please take the short poll to let us know how you feel.

As always, if you have questions, please contact us.

"Getting There From Here" An Informal Booktalk with Local Author Will Thomas

Please join us Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at noon in the TCC Southeast Campus Student Union Auditorium (SE 9101) as we welcome Will Thomas, author of the popular historical mystery Barker and Llewelyn novels and alumnus of TCC and NSU. The program is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

"A fascinating and fun new detective team...Thomas brings the era to life with vivid details....Entertaining." - Ron Bernas, Detroit Free Press

"Thomas explores wonderful uncharted territory." - Marilyn Stasio, New York Times

If you have questions, please contact Southeast Campus librarian Suzanne Haynes by phone at (918) 595-7704 or by email at shaynes@tulsacc.edu.

Known Issue: EBSCOhost Databases (Updated 3/28)

Update: As of Wednesday morning, March 28, EBSCOhost databases are working again. If you have trouble using them, or have more questions, please contact us.

Users on and off campus are reporting intermittent problems using EBSCOhost databases such as Academic Search Premier and CINAHL (see below for a full list); EBSCO was performing some maintenance this morning, and it seems to have affected the databases. They say:

Due to routine maintenance currently underway, we are experiencing temporary service interruptions for EBSCOhost and EDS users. We apologize for this inconvenience and assure you that our engineering team is working on this top priority to restore service as soon as possible.

Please contact us if you have questions, or to ask a librarian for help identifying databases with similar material. When we have more information, we will post it here.

TCC's EBSCO databases:

• Academic Source Premier
• Business Source Premier
• Bibliography of Native Americans
• CINAHL
• eBook collection: Elementary School, Middle School, Highschool
• ERIC
• Funk and Wagnall New Encyclopedia
• Health Source Consumer Edition
• Health Source Nursing/Academic Edition
• Hospitality and Tourism Complete
• MagillonLiterature
• Mas Ultra-School Edition
• MasterFile Premier
• MEDLINE
• Middle Search Plus
• Military and Government Collection
• Newspaper Source Plus
• Points of View Reference Center
• Primary Search
• PsychArticles
• Regional Business News
• TOPICsearch

Known Issue: Access to Blackboard, MyTCC, TED and LotusNotes Email (Updated 3/16)

Update: As of 11:15 am, service has been restored to all TCC systems.

As of 8:45 am, access to Blackboard, MyTCC, TED and LotusNotes Email is down. Users can access the internet from on campus computers, but students, faculty and staff will not be able to access their email or courses online. In addition, off-campus access to e-resources will not work.

The TCC website, the LRC website and LRC catalog are still working. IT technicians are currently working on a solution, and we will post more information here as we get it.

If you have questions, you can call IT at (918) 595-2000, call the library, chat with us online or send us an email.

Known Issue: Stat!Ref (Updated)

On-campus and off-campus access to Stat!Ref is currently not working. We are investigating, and will post more information here as soon as we have it.

UPDATE: Because of the cancellation of one of the primary Stat!Ref titles by the publisher, the LRC has decided not to renew our subscription to Stat!Ref. If you would like to know about similar titles, please talk to the librarian at your campus, or contact us by chat, email or phone. Thank you!

Welcome Back to New eResources Interfaces

Welcome back to school, TCC students, faculty and staff!

A number of the library's eresources have been updated since the end of the fall semester, and we're excited about the changes. You might want to take a look at them before classes start, so you're familiar with them when you need to start your research.

ProQuest has a new look and better features for searching and limiting in its databases (Curriculum Essentials, Nursing and Allied Health Source); it functions more like the EBSCOHost databases (Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycARTICLES, etc.). You can now search multiple ProQuest databases at the same time, or choose just one database to search, and you have easy access to the full-text and peer-reviewed limiting options on the basic search page:

Gale Virtual Reference Library also has an updated look, though most of the features are the same. You can search or browse the 117 ebook titles we have access to in GVRL:

As always, if you need help using these databases, just ask!