BNET: business resources at your fingertips

Gale Cengage Learning and CBS Interactive have joined forces in producing website, BNET which provides free articles and information for business and business related issues. Used as a research tool, you are able to look up various topics relating to business, management, communications, strategy, technology and even free video links are provided. There are also links to their paid services and plenty of advertisements, but basically because the content is provided by Gale Cengage Learning, there is a level of accountability associated with the material that is not necessarily found on other websites. No logons are necessary although you can create one and customize your experience if you are so inclined.

Reminder: if you are working on a research paper, use the Ritz Library electronic resources which can be found by going through myDCC, Library tab, Search our Electronic Resources and then selecting the databases you wish to search through.

View the library!

Take a few minutes to log onto your myDCC account and check out the new channel located in the upper right hand corner of the Library tab. Click on the link and go on a virtual tour of the Ritz Library and when you have a chance, stop on in and visit us in person! A librarian will be happy to help you with all of your research needs!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Spring 2009 begins the 80th birthday commemoration of Anne Frank. On display at the DCC Library is an Anne Frank exhibit sponsored by PVAC. The material on display is from Steve Press's private collection. You can pick up a free copy of the article written by Steve Press for the Actors' Equity Association commemorating the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Broadway play, The Diary of Anne Frank . There are also free brochures available from the Anne Frank Center of New York.

Visit the Francis U. & Mary F. Ritz Library on the 3rd Floor of Hudson Hall.

World Digital Library Up and Running

A few weeks ago I mentioned an exciting new resource that was to debut on April 21st for scholars and interested persons - the World Digital Library. Located online at http://www.wdl.org/en/ the WDL taps into international library and university primary source content from around the world. Materials have been digitized from such prestigious institutions as the Central Library, Qatar Foundation, Library of Congress, National Diet Library (Japan), and the Center for the Study of the History of Mexico (CARSO), among others.

The interface is simple and easy to use allowing for searching via 5 different methods:

• place; for example, China, Brazil, and Australia
  
• time line; for example, 8000 BC - 499 AD, etc.
  
• specific topic: philosophy, religion and social sciences, among others
  
• type of item: maps, manuscripts, motion pictures, for example
  
• institution: Bibliotecha Alexandrina, Iraqi National Library and Archives, for instance

There is a high powered zoom function associated with each item so that you can enhance the image you are looking at. Digitization quality is excellent on the books and photographs which makes for an enjoyable experience. The high level description enables you to understand what you are looking at, and if you chose you can read about the item in 7 different languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. All in all, the WDL helps make the world a smaller place and enables unique and rare content to be shared internationally.

Translations, part 2

Back in October, the Ritz Library posted information pertaining to Translations, the annual competition whose purpose is to "explore social concerns through art". As a result of this festival competition, some of the artwork and literature submitted will be on display in the Ritz Library display case from Monday, April 27th through Friday, May 8th.

This year, Translations judged three categories: Visual Art, Reading of Literature and a special category for Social Concerns about the Hudson River. 32 entries were submitted by DCC students .

The Visual Winner was an impressive piece by Nathan Garcia. It was ceramic fishes symbolically representing how cell phone technology interferes with genuine human communication. Honorable mention in the Visual category went to Marykate Monroe’s painting “Welcome to the city that never sleeps.”

The Written winner was JonnaLynn Rouse’s moving poem “What does my future hold?” Honorable mention goes to John Zamierowski’s untitled short story about a milk jug floating in the Hudson.

The Social Concerns about the Hudson River winner was John’s story about the milk jug followed very closely by MaryKate’s painting, "Welcome to the city that never sleeps".

Congratulations to all the festival competition winners and to all the students who chose to participate in this year's event!

Stop by the Ritz Library on the 3rd floor of Hudson Hall to view some of this year's entries! To view some photos of the entries, click here.

Special thanks to Dr. Peter Phipps for putting together the bulk of this blog entry.

Try Credo for quick access to facts

The Ritz is testing a new service that provides fast access to accurate and up to date factual information. Called Credo Reference, this service brings together the the full text of hundreds of encyclopedias and reference books on every subject from astronomy to zoology.

To see how Credo works, logon to MyDcc. From the "Library" tab, go to "Search our Electronic Resources". Credo Reference is the first choice on the page.

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You!

On April 21st, the World Digital Library (WDL) will be unveiled through a collaborative effort of the Library of Congress, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and 32 partner organizations world-wide.

The WDL will present primary sources in multiple languages from countries around the world, and the interface will allow for searching in 7 different languages.

For anyone looking for primary source material, this should be a good source of original items. For further information on primary sources, check out this blog entry from April 11, 2007.