Deck the digital resources with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la laaaaaaaah

What is Santa leaving under the tree at the Library @ Mohawk – lots of new e-resources, reading materials and a library podcast, that’s what! And looks like he’s been to the web resource world too as there are lots of sweet treats there as well!

I )Library News

1) E-resource treats

Just a reminder that in January, you will see a whole bunch of new online magazines and journal databases, thanks to Knowledge Ontario! Can’t wait? Need a teaser? Well, okay…just a little one. Here is some information on the new databases coming your way! Some highlights: C.P.I.Q. will be a great resource to turn to when you need Canadian information – check out over 700 Canadian periodicals (English and French) with full-text articles from 240 Canadian periodicals! Wowsers! Health & Wellness Resource Center is the place to go when you need comprehensive health information – check out the books, journals, magazines and pamphlets in the areas of alternative and complimentary therapies. And there is oh, so much more! Tune in in January when we’ll divulge all!

2) Holiday reading

Looking for something to read over the holidays? Well, check out the Library’s new titles list! There are loads of books on watercolour and oil painting just in at Brantford, some interesting videos and DVD’s new at Fennell (The Corporation, Bigger than Enron), some great new welding videos at Stoney Creek, and of course, some new nursing books at IAHS! Just in time for holiday reading!

3) Holiday listening

Check out the BRAINcast web site for the latest podcast – this week we feature a tour of the e-Library @ Fennell campus! Listen as the waterfall gurgles and the fireplace crackles, hear the buzz of students working, and learn about all the neat services you can access in the e-Library!

II)Holiday goodies from e-land

1) Holiday gift from Microsoft: Live Search Books

Microsoft has just launched its ebook database, called Live Search Books, where you can search for and access full-text public domain ebooks. You can see the actual scanned pages of these books which is really exciting if you’re a book geek (like us in libraryland!) Where are all these books coming from? The books included are noncopyright books scanned from the collections of the British Library, the University of California and the University of Toronto with more coming soon from the New York Public Library, Cornell University and the American Museum of Veterinary Medicine. More info here in this article from Cnet News.

2) Festive treat from New York Times: 100 Notable Books of the Year

For a limited time, the New York Times is making available for free their list of the 100 notable books of the year. Thank you, New York Times!

3) Seasonal pressie from a wreath supplier in the Pacific Northwest

Who can’t do without the lyrics to popular Christmas songs? A free download for all of your carolling needs!

4) Holiday treat from PC Magazine

A treat for the geeks (like me) – PC Magazine’s 2006 Year in Review rates the best and worst in technology! Woo hoo! Great for last minute gift ideas too, hint, hint!

From all of us in the Library @ Mohawk to all of you, dear BRAIN_blog readers, have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Christmas in the e-Library

Baby, it’s cold outside

Well the cold weather is definitely here (it being December and all.) This means that it’s time to snuggle in under your favourite afghan with a warm cup of cocoa and some library news! In addition, why not check out a couple of cool sites, educational technology news and a review of some web tools that can help you to get organized? And look, it’s all right here!

1) Library News

Trial databases galore
Have you checked out the huge roster of trial databases on offer yet? Head on over and go for a test drive. We’ve got your computers, your business, your health, your science – all wrapped up! New this month – Nursing Consult! Just for the nursing folks, this database features news, books (some for PDA’s as well), clinical updates, journals and more. And when you’re done, let us know what you’re thinking about all this!

Confused by copyright?Are you confused about copyright? Well, give facultyspace a whirl. Click on classroom corner, then Copyright and you’re half way to becoming an expert! Almost! Take a gander at the links we’ve collected on the topic – there are guides, reports, legislation and even a presentation from the Library. Check it out!

EBSCOhost new features
As you are no doubt aware, EBSCOhost databases cover the full gamat of subject areas – from health to business to news and everything in between and they include thousands (yes, thousands!) of top quality magazine and journal articles. Well, now EBSCOhost offers some new features! Click on the New Features link in the top right corner and check them out! Not sure where to start? See the list of magazine and journal collections at TheBRAIN!

New podcast
New this week! On this week’s BRAINcast, we get social, social bookmarking, that is! Learn the in’s and out’s of this exciting new personal information management tool! Check it out on the BRAINcast web site!

2) A couple of cool sites…

Just a couple of sites we’ve come across in libraryland that we thought you might be interested in:

Culture.ca is “Canada’s cultural gateway…for everyone who wants to explore, find, and share the best of Canada’s cultural and creative life.” And who doesn’t? Not a new site, but an improved one with loads of new content and easy-to-use subject categories such as Arts, Heritage, Society, and more! Also features some interesting Canadian cultural blogs! And, well, it’s just so dang pretty!!

For a limited time only! Ancestry.com, the immigration records people, are extending free access to immigration records until Dec. 31st! The reason? They are celebrating “the world’s largest collection of U.S. immigration records”! The collection that is free to search features passenger records from over 100 American ports between the years 1820 to 1960. Also available until December 31st are select Canadian, UK and other worldwide immigration collections. (After Dec. 31st, a fee applies.) You do need to create a (free) login and when you do, watch out! It’s mighty addictive searching around for the ancestors!

3) In the educational technology department… news tip of the week!

There’s a new issue of EDUCAUSE review out! (Nov/Dec., 2006) Check out the article on youth, privacy and social networking technologies for an in-depth look at the legal and privacy implications of being social on the web. And in the New Horizons department, New Media and New Literacies: Perspectives on Change is a great article on how to be innovative in the college environment. Bottom line: networking, networking, networking!

4) In the new web tools department…

Do you have a driving desire to catalogue everything about yourself? Every book you’ve ever read? Restaurant you’ve ever tried? Movie you’ve ever seen? Well, maybe not. But if you do want to organize your stuff a bit better and on top of that, check out what other people are collecting, reading and eating….then there are web tools for the job!

Librarything lets you catalogue your book collection quickly and easily. This is a great tool to use if you want to keep track of books you’ve read too. Both fiction and nonfiction books are included. And the bonus to librarything is that you can check out what likeminded readers are reading. Simply create a (free) login and easily add records for your books (don’t worry – nothing fancy, here – no Dewey Decimal system!) You can also add tags (subject headings) for easy retrieval later. Then, the fun begins! Check out what other people (who have read the same books you have) are reading, dive into the reader forums, relish the recommendations!

Yes, you thought I was crazy when I suggested cataloguing restaurants and movies, didn’t you? But there is a tool out there just for this purpose! Allconsuming.net is a web site where folks catalogue books, music, movies, meals, restaurants and more! And like librarything, once you’ve finished cataloguing your life away, you can see what likeminded people are up to (when, like you, they aren’t cataloguing their lives away.) No, it’s not just a site for librarians, either!

Squirl goes one step further and encourages you to catalogue absolutely anything that you collect. In fact, it bills itself as a “site for collectors”. When you’re not collecting, why not record it all and then compare your fabulous collection of black velvet Elvis paintings to other peoples’ such collections? Kidding aside, these free tools are a great way to organize your stuff and to open up your collections to others! Share and share alike, as they say. And it’s all free!