Are you spooked by statistics?

Halloween is over but we know students still find statistics pretty spooky! Let the library staff de-mystify them for you.

Tip #1 – it’s not always necessary to re-invent the wheel.  Sometimes you can find great stats buried in a book or magazine article on your topic. Look there first.

Tip #2 – if you do need to go straight to the source, check out the  QuickLinks box on TheBRAIN. Choose Quick Reference > Statistics. Here you’ll find Statistics Canada – the mother of all crunched numbers – offering data profiling population, income, how much beer we drink and many other important aspects of Canadian life! Try The Daily…it’s an electronic bulletin covering up-to-the-minute social and economic info and is very easy to search. E-STAT is another great pick. Its interactive tool with the very strange name (CANSIM)  lets you customize your stats search and create tables, graphs and charts too!

Tip #3 – let the library staff protect you from those spooky statistics…just ask for help!

New – Express Computers – Get ‘er done real quick!

Each campus Library now has 2 Express Computers available for your quick (5 minute) tasks! Need to quickly print a document, check email, look up an item in the catalogue, check for course announcements? Just hop on the Express computer and get ‘er done!  Soon you will be able to book a meeting room right from the Express Computer too!

Small print…
- Library@Brantford has 3 Express Computers.
- Priority will be given to staff assisting students – otherwise, Express Computers are open to all.
- Please limit Express Computer usage to 5 minutes at a time.

Controversy on TheBRAIN!

Need to develop persuasive arguments on a variety of controversial and current issues?

Check out our Points of View Reference Centre Database!

Points of View is chock full of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue (such as gun control, euthanasia, abortion, etc.) The database provides overviews, arguments, opposing arguments, and a critical thinking guide.

All kinds of media are included in the database: essays, leading political magazines, newspapers, radio & TV news transcripts, primary source documents and reference books.

As well, this database contains the Video Encyclopedia of the 20th Century, providing a searchable collection of some of the most important social, political, and cultural moments of the 20th century.

The Points of View database can be accessed from the list of databases found on TheBRAIN.

Happy Halloween from the Library @ Mohawk!

Get help with computing problems @ your library!

Need help with a Powerpoint presentation or an Excel spreadsheet? Having trouble printing from WebCT?  Never fear…help is on the way!  Back by popular demand, the Library has hired workstudy students to provide computing help to other students.  Connect with them during these hours:

Library@ Fennell:

Monday – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tuesday – 10 a.m.  – 3  p.m.

Wednesday -  10 a.m.  – 1 p.m.; 3 – 5 p.m.

Thursday – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday – 10 – 11 a.m.; 1 – 4 p.m.

Library@ IAHS: Look for the bright red helping hand!

Monday - 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Tuesday – 11  a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday -  11 a.m.  – 2 p.m.

Thursday – 1 p.m. –  5 p.m.

Friday – 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage – Today!

Tuesday,  October 27th is World Day for Audiovisual Heritage – a day to think about all of the issues at stake when preserving our audiovisual heritage.  Do you have old tapes or even 8-tracks that you can’t play anymore because you no longer have a player for them? Then, you know all about the issues related to this special day in the librarian’s calendar.

The Library has lots to celebrate on this day as we have been digitizing and putting online  a wide variety audiovisual materials – see our recent post on the topic! If you want to celebrate this day in style, put on your party hat and head on over to the Library’s growing collection of online videos – all you need is your computer to get the party started!

Visit the e-Library!

e-Library

Need a place to work on your assignment? Visit the e-Library, located in the i-wing at Fennell Campus.

We have :

- 40 computers available for student use, fully loaded with Microsoft Office 2007 and all the other software you need,

- a printer where you can print using your student print card,

- @MoCoCafe where you can fill up on caffeine, snacks and various bevvies,

- a waterfall for relaxation,

- floor-to-ceiling windows for daydreaming,

- wireless access and lots of electrical outlets…if your laptop is not wireless enabled, you can borrow an Ethernet cable from the information desk,

- full access to the Library’s amazing collection of electronic resources.

Best of all, Information Services staff are available to help with all your questions. If you need help using the library databases, preparing your bibliography in Refworks, formatting your assignment in Word 2007, or anything else, just visit the desk (pictured above) and we will be glad to help!

Go wireless in your libraries!

The libraries are hopping busy at this time of year and it’s pretty hard to find a library computer to use.   If you have your own laptop with wireless card, you can set up shop in a library, work on your assignments and get help from the staff when you need it!  What a great deal!

Check out this guide for instructions on accessing the wireless network at Fennell, STARRT and Brantford.

At IAHS, we use McMaster’s wireless network so the procedure is a bit different. You’ll need a Mac ID to use the system.  Here’s the scoop!

If you experience any problems connecting to the wireless network, visit any library information desk or computer help desk for assistance.

How to get some help around here…

Stuck researching for an assignment? Not sure how to find sources? Need help using Refworks? You don’t have to struggle alone. Library staff are here to help!

In person – visit the Information Desk at any of the campus  libraries for in-person, one on one help from our helpful Information Services staff.

Email – Fill in our online form or send an email to braintogoATmohawkcollegeDOTca. We aim to reply within one business day.

Phone – if you are working at home and have a quick question, call us at the library information desk.

Brantford:	519.758.6020
e-Library:	905.575.2244
Fennell:	905.575.2274
IAHS:	905.540.4247 x26834
STARRT:	905.575.1212 x5038

Chat – To chat live with information services staff, visit our Ask Us page and type your question into the Meebo chat box. Chat is available Mon-Fri 8:30am -9:00 pm and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends.

AskON – AskON is a live online research help service staffed by  information professionals from college libraries across Ontario, including Mohawk.  Click on the LIVE HELP button on any BRAIN page:Then, click the lime green AskON button to submit your question and connect to Live Chat. AskON is available 11 a.m. – 10p.m. Mon-Thur, and 11a.m.-5p.m. Fri-Sun.

Reviewing your library account

Need to know when your library items are due? Want to renew  a book?
With our new catalogue, it has never been so easy.

Accessing your account information, renewals, holds, due dates, etc is just a click away with the “my account”  feature!

Go to the library’s catalogue and  click on My Account to login. You will be prompted for your username and password. For first time users, your username is the same as your mocomotion userame.  Use the numbers following the zeros in your student number as the password.  Once input, you will be prompted to change your password.

Tip: change your password to your mocomotion password.  Less is more when it comes to passwords to remember!