Resource Review: Credo Reference

Those Coker students that have had a library instruction class or have had one of our one credit courses (LIB 101 or 301) know we librarians really like reference resources. Reference resources, whether they come from our traditional reference section or as an e-resource, are excellent places to begin research. But why?

1. These resources provide overviews of a topic, which serve to get the researcher into the mindset of that topic or subject matter
   
2. They provide search terms and ideas to broaden or widen your research
3. Most reference resources provide a bibliography or works cited list, doing some of your research for you.

With these ideas in mind, we will be taking a look at one of our newer e-resources: Credo Reference.

Credo Reference features (at this writing) 463 separate reference books containing over 3,000,000 entries. These titles are automatically updated with newer versions (if available) and new works are added frequently.

Above is the current homepage for Credo. As you can see, the basic Search is the default search type, providing simple access to the entire collection.

The next tab over features an Image Search, perfect for art students looking for specific examples of an artist's work. There are plenty of art resources including the National Gallery of London's collection and the Bridgeman Art Library Archive (to name a very few).

Advanced Search brings you a more powerful set of search parameters, such as phrase searching, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and date range limiters.

Find a Book, miraculously, allows you to search for a specific book in the collection. Note that if you roll your mouse over a title, you will get a picture of the book cover and a brief description of the book's contents (Click on the picture to make it larger):

Concept Map is a (relatively) new way of looking at information visually. Enter a search term, and Credo will output a map of concepts and terms, with your search term usually in the middle:

Each one of those terms is a separate entry in Credo Reference, and can be previewed by holding your mouse over the phrase or term (See picture above, click to enlarge).

Concept mapping is a great information discovery tool, especially in subject areas that are either new or unfamiliar to us.

Finally, the Gadgets tool offers unique information access:

This unique tool can be dragged to any part of your screen or opened in a new window or tab to be used even after leaving Credo Reference. The Gadgets provide some of the quick answers that you would expect from Google -- except these answers come from a trusted resource.

All in all, Credo Reference offers a great range of e-reference resources that are easy to use and access.

Saturday Hours

The Library will open at 10:00AM this Saturday, February 6. Come on in and enjoy a few more hours of academic pursuits.

LITTLE BLUE BOOKS on display at the LITC

Meet the Henry Ford of Literature, Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, and his Little Blue Books.
Now on display at the LITC

Little Blue Books were a series of small staple-bound paperback books printed and distributed by Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, a socialist reformer and newspaper publisher, in the early 1900's. These 3.5 by 5 inch books were created to fit easily into a "working man's" pocket. Their small size and low price helped them sweep the ranks of both the working class and the educated. The Little Blue Books were created in the hopes of getting common knowledge, literary works,and varying ideas and view points, to as large an audience as possible.

"At the close of the 20th Century some flea-bitten, sun-bleached, fly-specked, rat-gnawed, dandruff- sprinkled professor of literature is going to write a five-volume history of the books of our century. In it a chapter will be devoted to publishers and editors of books, and in that chapter perhaps a footnote will be given to me." - Emanuel Haldeman-Julius

But what became a highly popular source of information sank into obscurity by the 1950's, a result of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Haldeman-Julius' attempt to enlighten was deemed perverse by the Bureau, due to the collection's inclusion of topics like socialism, atheism, and sexuality. The Little Blue Books were a threat to the American people, and Haldeman-Julius was put on the enemies list.

Learn a little more by dropping by the LITC.

Wells Fargo Interview Day

Wells Fargo Interview Day
The Center for International and Experiential Education (CIEE) is currently working with Wells Fargo (took over Wachovia) to plan an Interview Day to occur on February 9th in Columbia at a hotel to be announced at a later date. The openings are for South Carolina, the Southeast and beyond if candidates are interested in relocating. More details will follow about the event as soon as confirmation of the location is received. Stop by CIEE for more information about the job opportunities and check out Wells Fargo Careers.

How to Participate:

1. Students must submit a one page resume to be critiqued by CIEE. Deadline is Tuesday, January 19th. Only December 2009 or anticipated May 2010 graduates are eligible for this event.
2. Make revisions as needed and print 1 page resume on resume paper provided by CIEE. Deadline is 4:00 pm on Friday, January 22nd. You may print your resume in CIEE, 2nd Floor, Student Center. Students should submit a resume to each position for which you would like to apply. E.g. If you want to apply for all 5 positions, then you submit 5 resumes.
3. Resumes will be sent to Wells Fargo for recruiters to review and select students for interviews to be held on February 9th.
4. CIEE will notify you if you have been chosen for an interview. Students who accept interviews must make arrangements to travel to Columbia to participate. Students who are selected for interviews but decline the opportunity must notify CIEE immediately so that another student will have the opportunity to fill that spot.

DISCUS needs your input.

DISCUS - Digital Information for South Carolina USers
Provides free access to an electronic library that’s available 24/7.

DISCUS, South Carolina’s Virtual Library is the “information place” for all South Carolinians. You have most likely benefited from this service while accessing Coker's databases for research.

Currently, DISCUS is in the process of negotiating their database license renewals for the 2010 calendar year. In doing so, they have been evaluating the separate database components included within SIRS Knowledge Source. After discussions with Proquest representatives, they've determined that there may be a bundling of resources that would be a "better fit" for DISCUS.

DISCUS has asked for input from staff and students in order to make a decision that best accommodates the patrons.

ProQuest has set up a trial page to assist in gathering opinions into the
selection process of two possible packages.

• Option A: The two most heavily used databases within the current package, plus CultureGrams. CultureGrams has traditionally been one of ProQuest's most popular products.

• Option B: The existing subscription resources.

DISCUS and the LITC invites you to explore the products and VOTE on which package - Option A or Option B - you think would best meet the needs of our users.

Here is a link to a SHORT, three question survey - http://www.proquestk12.com/go/discus

The deadline for reviewing these two packages and completing the survey is Monday, December 14th, 2009.

BETTER WORLD BOOKS BOX... say that three times fast.

Curious about that big box near the front doors of the LITC?

Coker's resident Literary Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, is gathering books for BetterWorldBooks, an online bookstore which collects and sells books to fund literacy initiatives worldwide.

Though the library will still be accepting book donations while the box is up, we encourage patrons to give to a charity helping to promote global literacy.

For more information about Better World Books and how they are enriching the lives of readers all over the world, please visit - www.betterworldbooks.com/

Special Saturday Hours

The Library will be opened Saturday November 14 from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Come early and avoid the rush.