New and expanded services in the e-world

This week we feature new and expanded services in the e-world: 1) �e-book of the month� (a free, new e-book each and every month!), 2) AskTheBRAIN online help chat service extends hours, 3)new search engine�move over Google, here comes a9.com, and 4) ERIC educational resource goes live (again.)

1) e-book of the month
Introducing a cool feature from netLibrary � �e-book of the month�! No, it�s not a club you need to belong to (although that might be fun, and maybe we should talk to netLibrary about looking into this!) but free access to a featured e-book in the netLibrary collection each and every month! From the Databases page on The BRAIN, choose netLibrary and from the netLibrary homepage, you have access to their e-book of the month. Just look for the snazzy picture of the book, click, and you�ll be taken to a screen with more information about the e-book, and, of course, the usual access points for reading. Just like any of netLibrary�s resources, you can browse specific sections or read the entire book at your leisure. With their e-book of the month feature, netLibrary also provides a link to the publisher�s website, a link to purchase the e-book (if you decide you really want to have it in your own collection forever) and other information as available. For example, September�s featured e-book of the month is �Search Engine Optimization for Dummies�. All the options listed above are available, as well as a companion website that includes more details about the book and access to resources the author discusses. Loads of good information! Interestingly enough, as is the case this month, the featured e-book is often NOT a part of Mohawk�s regular collection � it�s a freebie!! Get it before it�s gone! And be sure to continue to check out netLibrary�s �e-book of the month� on a regular basis for more interesting and exciting finds!

2) AskTheBRAIN online help chat service extends hours
AskTheBRAIN, the service that lets you chat online with a librarian to get instant library help, is now available more hours than ever! You can now log onto AskTheBRAIN anytime between 10am and 9pm Monday to Friday and 8:30am and 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday. That�s right�librarians are standing by even on Sunday morning�we may be wearing our fuzzy slippers but we�re ready to help! Not only can you chat online but librarians can demonstrate searches, push pages and guide you through research in any of the online databases using this new form of library assistance.

3) a9.com: move over Google!
Well, okay Google doesn�t really have to move over as a9.com uses the Google web database when it searches the web. But a9.com contains many additional features that you may want to check out. For example, search results are organized into handy categories such as Books (books on your topic from Amazon.com), Reference (reference resources such as dictionary and encyclopedia entries from Gurunet), Movies (movies on your topic, if applicable, from the Internet Movie Database), and Images (from the Google Image database.) As well, there are some interesting personalization features: the Bookmarks feature lets you collect links you�ve found, the Diary feature lets you make notes on your results and the History feature saves your searches and indicates when you conducted the searches (these require you to log in.) An interesting new player on the search engine scene from the makers of Amazon.com! For more information and commentary, check out this article from Search Engine Watch.

4) ERIC goes live (again)
From the site: �The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, produces the world�s premier database of journal and non-journal education literature. The new ERIC online system, released September 2004, provides the public with a centralized ERIC Web site for searching the ERIC bibliographic database of more than 1.1 million citations going back to 1966. Effective October 1, more than 107,000 full-text non-journal documents (issued 1993-2004), previously available through fee-based services only, will be available for free.� The Library world was concerned when ERIC went offline earlier this year but now, much to our relief, it is back, better than ever. This should be your first stop for research into the field of education!

News galore @ The Library @ Mohawk

Welcome back to a new semester @ Mohawk! This issue of BRAIN_blog will update you on all the new e-services ready and waiting for you @ the Library: 1) new look for The BRAIN, 2) new content and tutorials @ The BRAIN, 3) new service just for Faculty: facultyspace, and 4) new database: SAFARI e-books.

1) new look @ The BRAIN
Did we move the furniture when you weren�t looking? Yes, we did! But we moved it so you could get to the resources you need more quickly and easily than ever before! After extensive usability studies with students at Mohawk College, the Library Web Team went to work to make The BRAIN more intuitive for all of our users. Use the links in the middle of the page to get to the content that you use the most: for example, click �find books and videos� to do just that. Use �find articles from magazines, newspapers and journals� to jump directly to our list of article databases. Looking for our comprehensive collection of web links? Click the link to �recommended web sites by subject� and you�re there!

2) New content and tutorials @ The BRAIN
Need a refresher on how exactly to find a magazine or journal article, an electronic book, or a video? Links to tutorials on all of these subjects can now be found in the centre of our home page. Watch for the links to �online demos� to see a short movie on how to search our various resources! (Bring on the popcorn!) New information about the Library can also be found from the home page�link to a new staff directory, contacts page and hours page, in addition to extensive information about borrowing, policies and library services.

3) facultyspace
The facultyspace is your one-stop-shop for information about teaching @ Mohawk College. Link to online journals in the field of education, information about instructional technology, plagiarism, and performance measures, tips on classroom management as well as faculty-specific library information such as key contact lists and copyright information. Is there something that you�d like to see added? Let us know�it�s your space! You can access the facultyspace from the BRAIN home page. (A special thanks goes out to Andrew Connery for his beautiful design work on this new addition to the Library web space!)

4) New database: Safari e-books!
The new kid on the database block is Safari e-books! Safari contains the full-text of hundreds of electronic books in the areas of technology, computers and business (that�s right folks, entire books!) Print and/or email pages, view the tables of contents, and search inside entire books. To access, go to the Databases page, select �Electronic Books� from the drop-down menu and hit �Go�.