Looks like those lazy, hazy, humid days of summer are getting a head start this year so if you need a reminder – the Library @ Mohawk has A/C! And lots of it! Need somewhere to sit back and bask in a continuous flow of cold, icy air? Well, look no further than your local Library @ Mohawk! And while you’re here, sit yourself down at one of our fine computers and try out some of the new stuff in this week’s blog, why dontcha!
Library News
1) New Titles
The new titles just keep rolling in! Here’s a video of a few titles – but check the list – there are lots more!
2) Tutorials galore!
Now is the time to get caught up on the Library’s collection of online tutorials! Below is just one. Head on over to TheBRAIN homepage and click on the How to find dropdown menu to view the full selection! We’ll be adding more to YouTube over the next few months!
3) Advanced Search!
If you have been using our new Thomson Gale magazine databases, you’ll notice a change to the interface! You can now search using the handy “advanced search” screen! Look for the dropdowns to choose an index to search (author, title, subject, etc)!
New Web Tools
1) Share your slides
Do you have some PowerPoint slides that you need to mount on the web but you’re lacking a server to put them on? Well, now your worries are over – now you can use any number of free services to put your slide show on the web. Some even allow you to specify who can view the show. Slideshare allows you to upload PowerPoint (ppt or pps) odp, pdf or keynote slide presentations. Create a free registration, upload, tag it and you’re done. Similarly, Slideburner lets you upload your slides, tag them and specify if they are private or public. Slideburner looks very similar to Youtube and allows for sharing and commenting. Here is an example of Slideburner in action: a PowerPoint presentation that a couple of us in the Library presented at the This is IT! conference last week on the topic of information management 2.0!
2) Toggl
Need to keep track of your time for your SWF or for some other reason? Check out Toggl, a free time management tool that tracks the time you spend on various tasks.
3) Technology Self-Quiz
Ever wonder where you fit on the technonewbie to technolusty continuum? Well, now you can find out with this quiz from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Answer a few questions and see which category you are in along with descriptions of the various categories in the Pew Internet Project’s Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users.
4) Lyrics
Now that summer is practically here, it’s time to roll down the windows and croon along to the radio, no? Well, what could be more helpful than a database of lyrics. Check out Yahoo!’s database of over 400,000 song lyrics. Enter a song into the search box or if you are looking for an artist, use the drop down at the top right. As Ian Rogers, general manager of Yahoo Music says, “finally, a free, legal and definitive way to settle a bet with the guy sitting next to you at the bar who is certain the Ramones’ most famous anthem declares, ‘I wanna piece of bacon.’”
