Free Spring 2012 Workshops

It is the time in the semester to start working on your research papers. We know it can be stressful trying to balance life, work and school but the VC/UHV Librarians are here to help.

The VC/UHV Library is offering several free workshops to current students, faculty and staff at Victoria College and the University of Houston-Victoria to teach you about using the library website and conducting research. The workshops will be held at the VC/UHV Library in Room 304 as well as online.

Finding Articles Like a Pro – This workshop will teach you about search tricks that will help you find information fast. It will teach you to use advanced search functions to narrow your search and limit your results to the most relevant information.

• Wednesday, February 29 from 6-7 PM, VC/UHV Library Room 304
• Thursday, March 1 from 6-7 PM, Online meeting room http://breeze.uhv.edu/findingarticles
• Tuesday, March 20 from 6-7 PM, Online meeting room http://breeze.uhv.edu/findingarticles

Google Like a Librarian - After this online workshop, you will know how to use Google Web, Google Books and Google Scholar. These are powerful research tools and you will learn how to make them work for you.

• Monday, March 5 from 6-7 PM, Online meeting room http://breeze.uhv.edu/googlelibrarian
• Thursday, March 29 from 6-7 PM, VC/UHV Library Room 304

Refworks: The Bibliography Creator - Want to create a bibliography in seconds? Let us teach you how to save time and make writing easier by organizing your resources.

• Wednesday, March 7 from 6-7 PM, Online meeting room http://breeze.uhv.edu/refworks
• Tuesday, April 3 from 6-7 PM, VC/UHV Library Room 304

Evaluate Your Resources - Are you unsure of what counts as “scholarly” or “academic” material? Do you know what type of resources to use for you class paper or project? We will teach you how to evaluate your resources by giving you questions to ask about each resource. Questioning the purpose, content, authority, currency, objectivity and relevancy will help you determine whether to use the resource or find something else.

• Monday, March 19 from 6-7 PM, VC/UHV Library Room 304

For individual assistance, you can ask for research assistance bystopping at the reference desk on the 1st floor during normal library hours, using the online chat service, emailing askalibrarian@uhv.edu or askalibrarian@victoriacollege.edu, or calling 361-570-4166 or 800-687-5006.

Victoria Black History Month Parade

On Saturday, 11 February 2012, Victoria held the Black History Month parade and festival. Lieutenant Colonel Vanessa Hicks-Callaway, a former Victoria resident, served as Grand Marshal for the parade. Lieutenant Colonel Hicks-Callaway (pictured right) serves in the U.S. Army.

The festivities began with a parade from the Patti Welder Magnet Middle School to the Victoria Community Center. The Black History Month Festival featuring food, jewelry, arts & crafts, clothing, and home decor began immediately following the parade.

VC/UHV Library Photographer, Bob Allen, took photos of the event. Mr. Allen’s photos can be viewed here.

National African American History Month

Since 1976, every United States president has declared February as African American History Month. Let us celebrate the rich history of African Americans and their contributions to the United States of America.

President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring February 2012 as National African American History Month. The proclamation designates this year’s theme as “Black Women in American Culture and History” so that Americans can pay special attention to the role African American women have played in shaping this nation.

We honor women like Rosa Parks (pictured right) whose refusal to surrender her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus made her known as the “mother of the modern-day civil rights movement” in the US. We honor women like Harriet Tubman who worked as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad during the 1850s and helped over 300 slaves to freedom. We honor women like August Savage who was a sculptor that worked for the equal rights of African Americans in the arts during the Harlem Renaissance. We honor women like Aretha Franklin who became known as the “Queen of Soul” for her musical contributions to jazz, blues, R&B, and gospel. This is, of course, only a small list of African American women who paved the way for the women of today.

For more information about African American History Month, you can visit the US government website http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov for pictures, videos, exhibits on baseball, civil rights, music, slavery, art and more, as well as teacher resources.

The VC/UHV Library also has a wealth of information available on the history of African Americans. Try reading My American Journey by Colin Powell or The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou by Maya Angelou. Perhaps you want to read Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America by Allen Guelzo or Freedom by Any Means: Con Games, Voodoo Schemes, True Love and Lawsuits on the Underground Railroad by Betty DeRamus.

SOPA & PIPA

If you used Google today, you probably noticed the logo is blacked out. If you tried to use Wikipedia today, you realized that you cannot use it. Why is this happening?

Today, January 18, thousands of Internet websites are taking part in a “blackout” to protest two anti-piracy bills that are currenly being discussed in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. By removing content from their website or brandishing their website with a black box, companies and organizations such as Google, WordPress, American Library Association, Firefox and Flickr, are demonstrating the potential impact of the bills.

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is up for debate in the House of Representatives and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) is being considered by the Senate. The proposed legislation is designed to tackle online piracy but many opponets say it threatens free speech and would give the government sweeping censorship abilities, similar to those used in China, Iran and Syria. According to Mozilla, “Your favorite websites, both inside and outside the US, could be blocked based on a single infringement claim, without any due process of law.”

The White House issued a statement earlier this week saying they “will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.”

If you feel strongly about this issue (pro or con), you may wish to contact your Representative or Senator to voice your opinion.

Welcome Back!

If you are new to Victoria College or the University of Houston-Victoria…Welcome! If you are returning…Welcome Back! We are excited for the Spring 2012 semester and look forward to assisting you with your research.

With the Spring Term upon us, we know there are some basic questions you might have about the library. Hopefully we will answer them here.

What are the library hours? We are open Monday – Thursday 7:45 AM – 10:00 PM; Friday 7:45 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday & Sunday 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM.

Does the library have my textbook? Probably not. We do not purchase textbooks for all the courses. We can’t keep up and our budget can’t either. If your professor is not using an actual textbook there is a possibility we have a single copy, or even an older edition – but the chance is small. If the bookstore is out of your textbook, mention it to your instructor.

What do I need to use the computers? And where are they? To use the computers in the library, you need to bring your library card. For VC students, your library card is your student ID (and we issue them in the library). For UHV students, your library card is your JAG card. Before you start using the computers, you have to stop by the check out desk on the first floor to establish your library account or have it updated. The library has 36 computers on the first floor for anyone to use and 8 computers on the second floor only for students. You can use the computers anytime the library is open.

Does the library have wireless internet? Yes, you can bring your laptop or other portable device and access the wireless internet. You will need to access it using your VC or UHV computer account.

How much time do I get on the computers? Students have unlimited use of the computers. Every time you login, you will have 2 hours. You can self-extend your session for another hour. Students can have as many sessions in a day as they need.

Can I access by student drive? No. You will not be able to access your Victoria College student drive. UHV does not have individual student network drives. You need to bring a flash drive (aka thumb drive, USB stick, etc) to save your work or you save your work to the desktop and email it to yourself. Our computers are “hard locked” so when you log off, the computer returns to its original state. Any document you saved to the desktop will be erased.

Am I able to print in the library? If so, how much does it cost? Yes, you can print in the library. The cost is 5 cents per page for students for black and white printouts. Color printouts cost 25 cents per page for students. You can pick up your printouts at the check out desk on the first or second floor. We also have a photocopy machine that charges 10 cents per page.  You do not need to bring paper.

Do you have study rooms available? We have 6 study rooms available for students to use. Reservations can be made up to 48 hours in advance by calling 361-570-4199. More information about each study room is available through the library website. See http://vcuhvlibrary.uhv.edu/libraryinfo/groupstudy.htm.

Can the librarians help me with my research assignments? YES! The librarians are here to help you be a successful student. If you need help with your research assignment, you can always Ask A Librarian. We can help you via email, over the phone, using online chat or in person. We will teach you how to use the library resources so you find the information you need. You can also check out our library workshop schedule to learn about free workshops offered during the semester.

If you have any additional questions please email askalibrarian@uhv.edu or askalibrarian@victoriacollege.edu. Otherwise, you can call 361-570-4166, use our online chat or stop by the library during our hours of operation.

New Year’s Resolutions

Did you make a New Year’s resolution? Is this the year you promised yourself you are going to keep your resolution? It seems like this is the time of the year where people make a resolution to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy, follow a budget to eliminate debt, live simple, make more time for “me”…well…you get the picture.

For many people, the year will start out well  but they will quickly fall back into their old habits and give up on positive life changes. Change, however, requires hard work and determination and the VC/UHV Library has some resources that can help.

If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight or exercise more, check out one of these books:

• The No Sweat Exercise Plan: Lose Weight, Get Healthy and Live Longer by Harvey Simon
• Mayo Clinic Fitness for Everybody
• Leslie Sansone’s Eat Smart, Walk Strong: The Secrets to Effortless Weight Loss by Leslie Sansone
• Mayo Clinic on Healthy Weight
• Super Fitness for Sports, Conditioning and Health by Thomas Fahey
• The Abs Diet Get Fit, Stay Fit Plan: The Exercise Program to Flatten Your Belly, Reshape Your Body and Give you Abs for Life by David Zinczenko

If your New Year’s resolution is to eat healthy, try one of these books:

• Low-Calorie Cookbook: More than 200 Delicious Recipes for Healthy Eating
• The New American Heart Association Cookbook
• Healthy Heart Cookbook
• American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook: Heart-Healthy, Easy-To-Make Recipes that Taste Great
• The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick, Cheap, Easy by Alexandra Nimetz (e-book)

If your New Year’s resolution is to follow a budget, try one of these books:

• Be Thrifty: How to Live Better with Less
• 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget
• Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier & Healthier for Less by Leah Ingram
• Don’t Spend Your Raise: And 59 Other Money Rules You Can’t Afford to Break by Dara Duguay (e-book)

If your New Year’s Resolution involves living simple, check out one of these books:

• Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich by Duane Elgin
• Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider
• The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living by Janet Luhrs
• The Lilypad List: 7 Steps to the Simple Life by Marian Van Eyk McCain

If your New Year’s resolution is to have more “me” time, try reading one of these books:

• Bossypants by Tina Fey
• The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
• The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

This is just a small selection of the books we have available on these topics, and many more, to help you achieve your New Year’s resolution. Just Ask A Librarian and we’ll help you find the book you want.

Interim Library Hours

Finals week is upon us. Finals signal the end of the semester and a much-needed break for students (yay!). But it also signals a change in library hours.

The VC/UHV Library will be open the following hours for the remainder of December and beginning of January:

December 12-14  –  7:45 am-10:00 pm

December 15   -  7:45 am-6:00 pm

December 16  -  7:45am-11:00 am and 1:00pm-5:00pm (The Library will be closed from 11am-1pm for an employee holiday luncheon)

December 17-18  -  Closed

December 19-20  -  8:00am-5:00pm

December 21-January 1 – Closed

January 2-6  -  8:00am-5:00pm

January 7-8  -  Closed

January 9-13  -  8:00am-5:00pm

January 14-16  -  Closed

Now that class is over and you have plenty of time to ready for fun, check out one of these great new books:

•  Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
•  The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
•  The Wee Free Men: The Beginning by Terry Pratchet
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
• Sanctus by Simon Toyne
• Bossypants by Tina Fey
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Don’t forget about our audio books on CD in the Media Center for those long drives to visit family and friends. We want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

On December 7, 1941, America’s service members and civilians awoke on a quiet Sunday to the surprise attack by Japanese forces on Pearl Harbor. More than 3,500 Americans were killed or wounded in the attack that united a nation.

You can view a short film on Pearl Harbor on YouTube as part of the U.S. Navy Heritage Mini-Series. The Naval History & Heritage Command, the official history program of the Department of the Navy, has photographs, a digital artifact gallery, oral histories from survivors of the attack and official action reports available on the Pearl Harbor Raid 7 December 1941 website.

Before dawn on December 7, 1941, the Japanese fleet approached undetected to a point slightly more than 200 miles north of Oahu. At 6:00 am, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 181 planes composed of torpedo bombers, dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. At 7:00 am, an operator of an Army radar station at Opana spotted the approaching first wave of the attack. Unfortunately, the officers who received the reports did not consider them significant enough to take action. As a result, the Japanese achieved complete surprise when they hit the ships and military installations at Pearl Harbor shortly before 8:00 am. They attacked Navy air bases, Marine airfields and Army Air Corps fields at the same time they hit the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor to destroy American planes before they could take off and stop the Japanese.

The second wave of the attack began shortly after 8:30 am when 170 Japanese planes appeared in the harbor. The second wave continued to attack ships and airfields.

When the attack ended just before 10:00 am, the American forces station at Pearl Harbor suffered devastating losses. Twenty-one ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were sunk or damaged, 188 aircraft were lost and 159 aircraft damaged. In comparison, the Japanese lost twenty-nine planes. A fact sheet with detailed information on American losses is available from the U.S. Navy Museum.

On December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a Presidential Address to a Joint Session of Congress. President Roosevelt opened the speech with the famous words, “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” To end the speech, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan and it passed within an hour. You can view a video of the speech by clicking here.

Every year on December 7, we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor. America honors the sacrifices of our service men and women who lost their lives on that fateful day.

Finding Grant Funders Workshop

Introduction to Finding Funders Workshop

Monday, December 19 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm

The free online session will be led by Amanda Breu, Foundation Center Cooperating Collection Supervisor at the Victoria College/University of Houston-Victoria Library. Ms. Breu will provide an overview of finding funders, such as foundations, corporations and grantmaking public charities, for your non-profit organization with the Foundation Center’s comprehensive funding research tool, the Foundation Directory Online Professional. This top-tier searchable database provides information on more than 100,000 grantmakers and more than 2 million grant records.

The free workshop will be held in an online meeting room at http://breeze.uhv.edu/findingfunders/. Simply click on the link and request to “Enter as a Guest” to access the workshop from any computer with Internet access. The meeting room will open 15 minutes prior to the workshop start time.

Inquiries regarding the free workshop should be directed to Amanda Breu at 361-570-4169 or breua@uhv.edu.

Food for Fines

The VC/UHV Library is pleased to announce the Food for Fines program from November 28, 2011 to January 16, 2012. This is a great opportunity for you to clear your library record AND made a holiday contribution at the same time.

What is Food for Fines? The Library will waive overdue fines and fees. Simply return the overdue library materials and make a donation of nonperishable food items (one item=$1).* We will donate all collected food to the Food Bank.

Where can I take advantage of this offer? You can drop off your overdue item(s) and nonperishable food donation(s) at the 1st Floor Service Desk or the 2nd Floor Service Desk.

*Library item(s) must be returned or replacement cost paid. Waiver is for late fines and/or lost fines only. Preferred donation is one item per dollar owed. Contact Greg Garcia, Circulation Supervisor, at 361-570-4162 for more information.