New Books in Religion Area

Last year we surveyed the juniors and seniors about the library, getting their feedback on our facility, services and collections.  Students indicated their desires to have more titles, especially more current titles, that offer specifically Christian perspectives on current topics.

This fall, we added a number of titles in Religion and Christianity.  While this is not a comprehensive list, some interesting additions include the following:

• Christians, The Care of Creation and Global Climate Change edited by Lindy Scott, 2008, New Book Display BT695.5 .C473 2008
• Church, state, and citizen : Christian Approaches to Political Engagement edited by Sandra F. Joireman, 2009, New Book Display BV630.3.C49 2009
• Crazy for God:  How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back by Frank Schaeffer, 2008, BR1643.S332 S33 2008  

 

• From Faith to Fun: The Secularisation of Humor by Russell Heddendorf, 2009,  New Book Display BR115.H84 H45 2009  

 

Check Out Our New Subject Guides

This summer Ramaker Library began creating subject guides for students. These guides, named LibGuides, are intended to help you begin researching in a topic.  We understand that the library can be a confusing place at times; there are just so many online and print resources that it can be difficult to know where to look for information.

These guides point you to the best databases, reference books and journals we have. We also offer tips on how to conduct searches and how to use interlibrary loan.  Some guides also include industry news, recommended web sites and even podcasts. 

While we do not have subject guides created for every subject, we are continuing to add new ones frequently.  To see what is currently available, visit our LibGuides home page.  You can also click the Subject and course guides button on the Ramaker web site.

That’s LIFE

Google Books has recently digitized a large collection of LIFE magazines and made them available, free of charge, online.  Back issues of LIFE Magazine are always a treat to thumb through, viewing the amazing photography and checking out the ads of the era.  (I saw a great advertisement while flipping through this collection today — Giving a Party? Use plenty of Genuine Ice.  Hmmm, genuine ice?  Is there counterfeit ice?  And who knew ice needed to advertise itself?)   

To access the LIFE Magazine collection, visit Google Books.  You can search the issues by keyword, or you can browse through them issue by issue.  Google has also added a cool thumbnail view tool which allows you to see all the pages in one issue.  To do so, click the thumbnail icon along the top; it’s circled in the screenshot below. 

New Reference Books Added

At Ramaker, we continue to expand our collection of great reference works.  Here are two of the latest to hit our virtual shelves:

• The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health
  This update to the critically acclaimed first edition provides understandable yet detailed information on mental disorders and conditions.  The encyclopedia includes entries for all 150 disorders classified in the Diagnositc and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

  Great for: Nursing, Psychology students
  
  

• Encyclopedia of Human Rights
  The five-volume Encyclopedia of Human Rights offers comprehensive coverage of all aspects of human rights theory, practice, law and history in over 300 entries signed by leadnig scholars and human rights experts. The coverage includes major figures, organizations and institutions, human rights events and crises, and human rights norms.

  Great for: Political Science , Social Work, Sociology students

New Education Materials at Ramaker

In the past month, Ramaker has added a number of materials in the field of education to our collection. Topics range from classroom management and instruction to standards development.  New titles include the following:

• America’s public schools : from the common school to “No Child Left Behind” by William J. Reese (New Book Display, LA212 .R423 2005)
• The new meaning of educational change by Michael Fullan (New Book Display, LA412 .F85 2007)
• How to use an interactive whiteboard really effectively in your primary classroom by Jenny Gage (Main Collection, LB1555 .G3 2005)
• Making standards useful in the classroom by Robert J. Marzano (Main Collection, LB3060.83 .M379 2008)
• Designing & assessing educational objectives by Robert Marzano (Main Collection, LB17 .M393 2008)

To see a list of all the new materials at Ramaker, visit our New Books page.

Government Documents

At Ramaker, we’ve recently compiled some of the most useful links for federal, state  and international government web sites. We’ve posted these links on our new Government Documents web page. 

I’ve found the following sites to be particularly useful and interesting:

• Library of Congress – THOMAS
  This site contains current and archives legislative information. You can follow a bill from its introduction to its enaction. 
• US Census Bureau
  If you like statistics and numbers, this is the place to go. You can get information on subsets of the American population, plus on businesses and industries.

Visit the new government documents pages to see even more great resources.

New Books at Ramaker

Ramaker has added a number of  books to our Browsing Collection. These books, located near the entrance of the library, include current best-sellers and other contemporary titles. Recent additions include:

• My Jesus Year by Benyamin Cohen
  An Orthodox Jew spends a year visiting various Christian churches and events, trying to better connect with Judaism.
• The Eleventh Man by Ivan Doig
  A native Montanan, Doig writes about 11 starters from a Montana college football team who enter WWII together. One is assigned to be a press correspondent and writes stories on his teammates.
• The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
  In this romance best-seller, a man sets off to find a woman whose picture he carries and feels brings him good luck.
• The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown
  The Iowa Reads selection for 2009. The story is about a man who transformed the public library into the place to be after he returns home, dying of AIDS.  Two children visit him in the afternoon, reading aloud the journals of Lewis & Clark.

If you’ve read any of these, we’d love to know what you thought; just leave a comment here.

A New Look for BioOne

BioOne, one of Ramaker’s full-text biology databases, has recently acquired a new look and enhanced features. If you are familiar with BioOne, you will certainly notice the new look:

Do note the search function is in the top right corner, and the advanced search link is right below it. If you are interested in looking at what titles are available or in scanning the contents of just one publication, click the Browse link in the center of the page.

One enhancement to BioOne is the ability to create an account and save your searches. Even better, BioOne now has new titles in its Open Access collection, increasing the number of full-text journals available to Ramaker students and faculty.

If you have any questions about the new design of BioOne, please contact one of the Ramaker librarians.

Brrrring! Brrrring! Your call number is calling . . .

 

Ramaker Library just added another great feature to RaiderLink, our online catalog. Now when you look at an item in RaiderLink, you have the ability to text your own cell phone with the call number. Just click the button, and the call number will be sent instantly to your phone.  No more need for little slips of paper!

New E-Reference Books at Ramaker

Ramaker has recently acquired new reference works on a variety of science and social science issues:

• Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change
  Covers the history and science behind climate change, controversies over global warming and sociological aspects of the issue.
• Encyclopedia of Obesity
  Discusses prevention of and treatment for obesity, plus recent lawsuits and societal changes.
• Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
  Examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, and scientific theories of race and racism in the modem era, and includes biographies of theorists and leaders.
• Encyclopedia of Social Problems
  Explores a wide range of social issues, including crime, substance abuse, ethnic relations, wealth and ethics.

These encyclopedia, all published by Gale in 2008, provide background about the above topics and summarize the latest developments in these fields.

Getting Started with ILLiad

Over the summer, Ramaker Library implemented a new interlibrary loan system. ILLiad allows you to request materials online.

To get started with ILLiad, go to the Interlibrary Loan page. Log in using your usual Northwestern log-in combination. The first time you visit, you will need to complete a registration form; this only needs to be done once.

To request a material, click on the type of material in the left column. Then fill in the form as completely as possible. You must fill in the fields marked with an asterisk.

When your material is ready, you will be notified via e-mail. Most articles will be available for download from the ILLiad interface; simply log in and click on the “electronically received articles” link to view it. You also have the ability to print it or save it to your computer drive. Books will need to be picked up at the library circulation desk.

You can also use ILLiad to review what you’ve requested and received. To do so, explore the View options in the left column.

If you have any questions about interlibrary loan or ILLiad, please contact Bryan Van Gelder, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator, at bvangeld@nwciowa.edu or 707.7311.

Goodbye from ILL

I’d like to take this opportunity to say that it has been a pleasure to serve you this past year in all your interlibrary loan needs.  As we wind down the end of the year, please make sure that you are aware of the following important dates:

LAST DAY TO REQUEST BOOKS

Monday, April 28

LAST DAY TO REQUEST ARTICLES

Wednesday, April 30

ALL BOOKS BORROWED THROUGH ILL DUE BACK

Friday, May 2

Good luck in all your finals, term papers, projects, etc. during the next couple weeks, and best wishes to all those who are graduating and moving on!

To those who are returning, ILL will have a very different look next fall.  Over the summer we will be implementing a new ILL management system called ILLiad.  (See what they did there?  They used ILL, which stands for Interlibrary Loan, and then added the ”-iad” to create the word Illiad, just like the story by Homer.)  This program also uses a document delivery system called Odyssey.  (Isn’t that all so clever?!) 

This software will streamline the way you request and receive items, and will put more control in your hands (i.e. you will be able to track every request you make from the time you submit the request, until the time it is ready to be picked up). 

When you return to campus in the fall, you will have the opportunity to create your own ILLiad account, and start to see and use the benefits of this new program.  We’re very excited to have this wonderful system coming to Ramaker and NWC!

Enjoy your summer, and God bless in whatever you may do!

Pop-Up Books . . . not just for kids anymore

Ramaker Library recently purchased 3 books that would put your childhood pop-up books to shame.  These books include truly amazing paper engineering.  Yes, paper engineering.  Once you see them you’ll understand why it’s called engineering.

Wikipedia mentions the recent pop-up book revival . . . Traditionally, pop-ups have been seen as little more than children’s books but beginning in the 1990s, they have grown in prominence, chiefly due to the innovations of Robert Sabuda, Matthew Reinhart, and other great paper engineers.

Here is where you can find them if you would like to take a look.

 America the Beautiful- PS1077.B4 A8 2004b – Children’s Library (Robert Sabuda, paper engineer)

 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland- PZ7.S1178 Al 2003 – Children’s Library (Robert Sabuda, paper engineer)

 Dinosaurs: Encyclopedia Prehistorica – QE861.3 .S33 2005 – Children’s Library (Robert Sabuda & Matthew Reinhart, paper engineers)

Local Newspaper Archives Is Now Online

If you are researching local history, the process just became easier. Many Sioux County newspapers have recently been digitized for online access. The Newspaper Archives of Sioux County is available to learn more about the region’s past, including your own family’s history in Siouxland.

Area newspapers, dating back to 1872, are searchable by keyword, by date and by newspaper. The database includes over 180,000 newspaper pages from Sioux County, and pages are still being added to the database. Papers available include:

• Alton Democrat
• Alton Review
• Boyden Reporter
• Hawarden Independent
• Hospers Tribune
• Hull Index
• Independent
• Ireton Clipper
• Ireton Weekly Ledger
• Maurice Times
• People’s Friend
• Reporter
• Rock Valley Bee
• Sioux Center News
• Sioux Center Nieuswbland
• Sioux County Capital
• Sioux County Herald
• Sioux County Index Reporter
• Sioux County Index

The project was made possible by a grant from the Sioux County Community Foundation and by the efforts of the Sioux County Library Association. Visit the Newspaper Archives to see this great resource.