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.

HIV/STI AWARENESS

WHEN YOU GIVE THE GIFT OF LOVE, MAKE SURE IT IS WRAPPED PROPERLY!

The Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society is sponsoring the Library Display Case for the month of April in conjunction with HIV/STI Awareness. They have provided a supply of informative pamphlets regarding HIV and Aids along with several complimentary handouts.

Visit the Francis U. and Mary F. Ritz Library Display Case, 3rd Floor, Hudson Hall, and get the information you need to give the proper gift of love.

Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word

Ever face a document saved in a .wps format instead of a .doc format and wonder how you are going to open it? Most of the time when you go to open a file, the computer will automatically pick up the extension and open the file with the correct application. In some cases, this does not occur. This was the situation I encountered this morning.

Typically, .wps files are created using MS-Works. If you forget to save the file with the .doc extension, you may encounter a problem trying to open the file on another computer. Double clicking a file with an extension that the computer does not recognize will give you a list of possible applications you can use. In this case, MS-Word, the application I was looking for, was not in the list and all other "open" options led to gibberish in the file. After searching online, I found MS-Office online help which rectified the problem. Click here for the link. No one had ever attempted to open a Works file from the computer I was on this morning, so the MS-Works to Word converter had not been enabled. Enabling the converter took less than a minute and now when trying to open a .wps file, MS-Word is recommended program in the list of programs to choose.

Looking for health information?

Have you ever been faced with a medical issue you've wanted to research? If so, be aware that The Ritz Library at DCC offers several databases covering health related information. In myDCC, click on the Library tab, then click on "Search Our Electronic Resources", Health. The Health and Wellness Center database provides consumer health information, including alternative medicine. The Nursing link provides access to clinical information through the CINAHL database or through Medline.
Speaking of Medline, according to the brochure published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the MedlinePlus.gov website was "created for consumers ... and offers free, high quality health information." Other websites touted are: ClinicalTrials.gov, DailyMed, Dietary Supplements Labels, Genetics Home Reference and NIHSeniorHealth.gov. Check out these websites for information on FDA approved drugs, testing information on new drugs, vitamin and mineral supplement contents and more.

Women's History Month

Visit the Ritz Library today and view the display sponsored by the Women's Activities Committee featuring Women Taking a Lead to Save Our Planet.
When you visit, test your knowledge of women's history.

Kris Carr is an award-winning actress, best-selling author and film-maker.
Her book, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, can be found in the New Book Section of the DCC Library.