Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Watch a Journal, Read a Film: New Resources in Kimbel Library


JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments is a peer-reviewed video journal that enhances the repeatability of laboratory procedures by allowing users to watch the process via streaming video. Subjects covered include chemistry, applied physics, neuroscience, behavior, clinical medicine, bioengineering and immunology/infection. All videos include full text accompanying articles, so users can read about the process, download a PDF of the article or materials list and search the text of an article for keywords. 


Sports Medicine and Exercise in Video is a streaming video collection of over 350 films covering EXSS, nursing, health promotion and physical education topics, including:
- fitness assessment 
- strength and resistance training
- the musculoskeletal system
- injury treatment
- nutrition
- medical fitness and exercise adherence

Videos can be embedded in Blackboard/Moodle and sent to mobile devices via the cell phone icon on each screen. Thumbnails allow users to scan content, and allow users to create"clips" to highlight segments of films. Importantly, each video includes a full transcript side-by-side with the film so viewers can read the film and download transcript sections.


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Fall Reading Recommendations

It's cooling down outside, and now is a good time to curl up with a good book. Here's what we're reading around the library right now. These titles can be found in our holdings or through PASCAL Delivers, our service that allows CCU faculty, staff and students to borrow books that Kimbel Library does not own from other colleges and universities across the state. 



City of Dark Magic 
by Magnus Flyte 

City of Dark Magic is an indulgent combination of magic and suspense. This fast-paced novel is set in Prague, a city filled with history and mystery. The novel features Sarah Weston, a grad student who has traveled to the city to catalog Beethoven’s manuscripts. After being warned early in the novel that "Prague is a portal," she ingests a time-warping drug, befriends a 400-year-old dwarf and has an impassioned tryst with a prince in the courtyard. If you are interested in mystery, history and a little romance, this novel is for you.

- Recommended by Christi Rippy, Access Services Specialist



Kitchen Confidential 
by Anthony Bourdain

Having been a fan of Anthony Bourdain for years, I took it upon myself to read one of his first books, Kitchen Confidential. I was thoroughly entranced by his wit, crudeness, honesty and perspective. Here are a few things that stuck with me: 
- Never, ever order seafood from a restaurant on a Monday – particularly when it's a special. Bad idea. 
-The kitchen of the 80s and 90s was a man's world. 
- The world of the "celebrity chef" is relatively new and not necessarily a good thing. 
- Never order mussels from a restaurant unless you know the chef and where he got them. 
- Want to be a chef? Learn Spanish and prepare to be treated like pawn for a very, very long time.

- Recommended by Terri Artemchik, Information Literacy Librarian



The Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam 
by F.E. Peters

I have been reading The Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam by F.E. Peters. This updated edition of the classic book is about the origins of the three religions from the time of Abraham up through the Medieval period. Peters presents a brief introduction to the principles of each religion as well as the basic exegesis of each canon and supporting texts. My favorite part about this book is the interesting information regarding the origins of the canonical texts and the path each religion has traveled. The updated edition presents the reader with great resources for further reading. The casual reader may find this book a challenge due to the scholarly nature of the text, but it is a rewarding experience all the same.

- Recommended by Brady Cross, Access Services Specialist / Interlibrary Loan



Drums of Autumn 
by Diana Gabaldon

Fourth in the Outlander series, Drums of Autumn continues the story of time-traveler Claire Randall Fraser and Jamie Fraser. This time we meet Claire and Jamie in pre-colonial (ca. 1760s) America, with the characters working their way to North Carolina and settling in. I'm pretty new to the South, so it is interesting to me to do some side research on some of the places mentioned in the book; Charleston and Wilmington have already made an appearance in the first hundred pages. There are also some flash-forwards to late 1960s Boston and to Brianna, Claire and Jamie's daughter, with more time travel to come.

The books can be a slow read at times, and do contain violence. They are often realistic and gritty, with a strong romantic element throughout the series. I find myself often reading other books in between instead of reading the series in order. There is even a series focusing on a side character that can be mixed in. I like the series, but in doses.

- Recommended by Amy Fyn, Coordinator of Library Instruction


Thursday, September 12, 2013

The Big Read


Start Something That Matters Read-Alikes
Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie details the TOMS Shoes founder's journey from reality TV star to innovative businessman with advice for aspiring entrepreneurs based on lessons he himself learned along the way. Selected as this year's Big Read book for incoming students, Start Something That Matters covers themes such as creative thinking, social responsibility and facing your fears. 
If you enjoyed Start Something That Matters or are interested in further reading that covers similar themes, you may want to check out items like these at Kimbel Library:


Brand Aid: Shopping Well to Save the World by Lisa Ann Richey and Stefano Ponte
Before TOMS became popular, U2 lead singer Bono and activist Bobby Shriver created a new business model by allowing companies to use their Product Red brand to sell shoes, electronics, books and more as a way to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Brand Aid: Shopping Well to Save the World analyzes how business models that incorporate giving into buying certain products work behind the scenes.

In Start Something That Matters, Mycoskie details the innovative business model and creative thinking that helped make his business a success so that others can adopt similar ways of thinking and planning. David A. Owens addresses the barriers that sometimes stand in the way of innovation, including internal and external factors such as negative emotions and seeking to preserve the status quo. Owens recommends ways to overcome each of the different barriers in order to become more successful at applying "out of the box" thinking. 





Good Idea, Now What? By Charles T. Lee
A good idea like Mycoskie's "one for one" business model wouldn't have gotten very far if Mycoskie hadn't followed through and put it into action. Good Idea, Now What? explores the characteristics of a good idea and recommends strategies for pursuing your idea and getting it out into the world. 






Monday, September 9, 2013

September is National Literacy Month



Celebrate National Literacy Month by engaging in random acts of literacy. Literacy is not just reading, but being able to write and to think critically about what you are reading. 

So: 

  • Read a book with friends
  • Write a short story or sonnet
  • Have a conversation about the latest issue of The Chanticleer
  • Read an e-book from Kimbel Library
  • Become a literacy tutor
  • Share your spare books via the Kimbel Library Book Swap shelf

September is also Library Card Sign-Up 
Month. Your CINO Card is your library card, so use it in September to check out a video, CD or book, in celebration of your literacy skills.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

New and Improved Library Services


Have you been to the library to check out a laptop yet this year? If not, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. For your convenience, all 24-hour library equipment (laptops, cameras, iPads, etc.) has been moved to the Circulation Desk (the main desk on the Kimbel side). All of these items can be checked out of the library for one 24-hour period with two 24-hour renewals. Fines for late returns have also been reduced to $5 a day.

All Library Use Only equipment (Eno Board kits, wireless keyboards, MacBook VGA adaptors, etc.) is still available for checkout at the Peter C. Bolton Help Desk in the Bryan Information Commons. 

Visit our equipment availability page to find equipment available for checkout. 

Going home for the weekend? Why not take a Sony Handycam HD-capable video camera or Nikon COOLPIX point-and-shoot camera with you to complete a homework assignment or just to document your visit? 

All you have to do to renew your equipment each day is log into your library account. You can also call us at 843.249.2400. We’re open 24/7, so daily equipment renewals are no problem. Just give us a call!