Category Archives: New Materials

New Online Reference Collection: Credo Reference

Who you gonna call… when you have a research question?

A librarian’s standby for quick answers was historically the reference collection. Over the last ten years the print reference collection at CPCC has been cut to 25% of its previous size. To fill the gap we have online reference resources that can be accessed from any computer with web access. Find a list of reference resources at in the Research Databases section of our website under Reference.

The newest database that is specific to reference is Credo Reference which contains digital copies of 100 encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases covering a range of subjects from literature, to law, to science and more. All titles are full-text searchable. Credo Reference also offers the ability to seamlessly search within other library resources such as the CPCC Library Catalog and Academic Search Premier making it a great place to begin your research. Download a Word document listing all 100 reference titles within Credo.

New Literature Criticism Database

Salem Literature Logo

Taking ENG 113? Need sources that offer literary criticism? The CPCC Libraries have added a new research database full of literary criticism called Salem Literature. Using this resource, students can search analytical essays (both classic criticism and original analysis) on authors and works central to literary study.

Included are classic and contemporary authors such as Toni Morrison, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Jane Austen. Classic works covered include Death of a Salesman, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Joy Luck Club.

In addition, the library has received a set of books that complement this database. These print titles can be found in the Library Catalog. So, you have the option of finding literary criticism in print books and online.

The Library also offers access to two other research databases that focus on this subject area, Literature Resource Center and Literary Reference Center.

Art Full Text: Database Trial through Mar. 31st

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In order to better serve the information needs of the college CPCC Library is reviewing a database from H W Wilson called Art Full Text. Using this database students, faculty and staff can view full-text articles as well as access an index to articles in over 500 journals and magazines through March 31st, 2010.

According to H W Wilson Company the database covers 1984 to the present and it “indexes and abstracts articles from 551 periodicals published throughout the world. Full-text coverage for 250 periodicals is also included. Periodical coverage includes English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins, as well as periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, and Swedish. In addition to articles, Art Full Text indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals.”

Resources for Planning your Summer

Whether you are traveling, getting outdoors, reading, tending your new garden, heading to the beach or looking forward to your ‘staycation’; CPCC Librarians have some helpful information to help you make the most of your summer plans.

Check out these and many other books from your CPCC Libraries:

50 hikes in the mountains of North Carolina : walks and hikes from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smokies by Williams, Robert Leonard
Harris Campus Library GV 199.42 N66 W55 2001

The hiker’s companion : 12,000 miles of trail-tested wisdom by Ross, Cindy.
Levine Campus Library GV 199.4 R67 1993

Go there now! : a boomer’s guide to budget travel by Stewart, Don
Levine Campus Library HQ1062 .S74 2007

Best garden plants for North Carolina by Beck Pam
Cato Campus Library SB453.2.N8 B42 2006

The cook’s garden : growing and using the best-tasting vegetable varieties by Ogden, Shepherd.
Central Campus Library SB 321 O35 1989

If you are planning on doing some reading for pleasure this summer, use Novelist to find that perfect fiction book. It provides recommended reading, author profiles, as well as “author read-alikes” suggestions. Novelist is available through CPCC Library’s homepage. Click Find an article and select browse databases by name to find Novelist.

Also take a look at the websites we have selected on our Delicious Account list. Explore these and other pages on the list under headings such as travel, outdoor_recreation, gardening- and many more. Here are a few interesting sites from our list:

Travel:
http://www.frommers.com/

Planning on travelling? Use Frommer’s online to find articles written by ” Frommers.com experts”, read hotel and restaurant reviews for travel destinations, as well as gather valuable travel tips under the ‘planning a trip’ section for each city destination, also provided are excerpts from Frommer’s Guidebooks.

Outdoor Recreation:
http://www.webwalking.com/

Use Web Walking.com to find resources for walking, hiking, and trail mapping. It also provides information on gear, trails, and more.

http://gorp.away.com/index.html
GORP (Great Outdoor Recreation Pages) offers backpacking, hiking, camping, fishing, caving and biking information. Plan your adventure by destination or activity- use the packing guides for help in what to bring or read the gear reviews to find the best accompaniment for your activity. The City Guides feature suggests nearby outdoor locales “for turning your weekends into outdoor adventures”

Gardening:
http://www.garden.org/home

This website for the National Gardening Association. Provides “gardening content for consumers and educators, ranging from general information and publications to lessons and grants.” Search the term organic to find articles on organic gardening. Provides tips for city gardens, ‘edible gardens’, videos, and message boards.

Currency Exchange:
http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Traveling to other locales? Use the Universal Currency Converter website- It offers currency and foreign exchange rates based on “up-to-the-minute mid-market currency rates”

Have a great summer!

Library Receives Collection Enhancement Grant

CPCC librarians were hard at work during the fall semester selecting new titles to enhance the library’s math and science collections.

In June 2008, the CPCC Library was awarded a $10,000 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Strengthening Library Collections grant by the State Library of North Carolina. An additional $2,500 in matching funds was received for a total of $12,500.

The CPCC Library was one of six libraries to receive a Strengthening Library Collections grant. The grants were announced in June 2008 for the July 2008-June 2009 fiscal year. These awards were made possible by LSTA grant funding from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal grant making agency.

Approximately 362 items have been added to the collection in the subject areas of General Science, General Math, Algebra, Statistics, Mathematical Analysis, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Human Anatomy. Items purchased will be distributed to each campus library.

Selections of new titles received are on display at the Central campus library. Stop by to check them out….literally!

Opposing ViewPoints — Now with ReadSpeaker

ReadSpeaker is now available in the Opposing ViewPoints database! This feature is meant to assist those with learning disabilities, who speak English as a second language, or have vision impairments. It does this by converting the text of each article to audio, allowing the reader to listen and read along at the same time. Best of all no extra downloads are required!

When viewing an article just look for the ReadSpeaker dashboard and click “Play”. Opposing ViewPoints is available on the Find-an-Article page of the library website.

The ReadSpeaker player appears at the top of most article in Opposing ViewPoints.
The above image is an example of the ReadSpeaker player, which is available on most Opposing ViewPoints articles.

New Resource: World Book Online

World Book Online includes accurate, authoritative, easy to read articles from The World Book Encyclopedia, related articles from major newspapers and magazines, and special reports that broaden and deepen coverage for selected topics. This resource is a great place to get a general overview of a topic before searching other library databases such as EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier for magazine and journal articles.

World Book Online is available through the Library Catalog under the Online Reference Shelf tab it is also available in the Find an Article section of our website in the Browse Article Databases by Name list.

This resource can be accessed from any computer using your CPCC Login (SNAP ID).

New Resource: EBSCOhost Newspaper Source Plus

Newspaper Source Plus is now available as part of our family of EBSCOhost databases. You can find this new resource by heading over to the Find an Article section of our website and following the link to EBSCOhost.

Newspaper Source Plus offers cover-to-cover full text for 149 national & international newspapers, selective full text for 410 U.S newspapers, and complete coverage for over 250 U.S. college and university newspapers. The database also contains full-text television & radio news transcripts. The dates covered for each title vary, but generally include articles from the late 1990’s to present. Check the full-title list (PDF) for details.

Newspaper Source Plus can even be accessed from any computer using your CPCC Login (SNAP ID).