Francis U. and Mary F. Ritz Library

Ritz Library offers new streaming video service

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:17:00 +0000

DCC’s Ritz Library is pleased to provide staff
and students with a new way to watch videos on academic topics. Films on Demand, a Web based streaming video service, includes over 5,000 individual titles that can be accessed 24/7. Best of all, the videos can be viewed both on and off campus.
Some of the subject areas covered are business, health, humanities and the sciences.

All programs are broken down into short segments, which make them perfect for showing to a class. Special features allow the user to organize and bookmark clips and to create and share playlists of programs.

To use Films Demand, logon to MyDCC. Then click on the “Library” tab. From the Library screen, click on the link for Films on Demand in the “How do I find information for research projects?” channel.

Questions? Comments? Contact Ron Crovisier or Tom Trinchera at 431-8634 or email refdesk@sunydutchess.edu

BNET: business resources at your fingertips

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:43:00 +0000

Gale Cengage Learning and CBS Interactive have joined forces in producing website, BNET which provides free articles and information for business and business related issues. Used as a research tool, you are able to look up various topics relating to business, management, communications, strategy, technology and even free video links are provided. There are also links to their paid services and plenty of advertisements, but basically because the content is provided by Gale Cengage Learning, there is a level of accountability associated with the material that is not necessarily found on other websites. No logons are necessary although you can create one and customize your experience if you are so inclined.

Reminder: if you are working on a research paper, use the Ritz Library electronic resources which can be found by going through myDCC, Library tab, Search our Electronic Resources and then selecting the databases you wish to search through.

View the library!

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:11:00 +0000

Take a few minutes to log onto your myDCC account and check out the new channel located in the upper right hand corner of the Library tab. Click on the link and go on a virtual tour of the Ritz Library and when you have a chance, stop on in and visit us in person! A librarian will be happy to help you with all of your research needs!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Johann) — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:45:00 +0000

Spring 2009 begins the 80th birthday commemoration of Anne Frank. On display at the DCC Library is an Anne Frank exhibit sponsored by PVAC. The material on display is from Steve Press's private collection. You can pick up a free copy of the article written by Steve Press for the Actors' Equity Association commemorating the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Broadway play, The Diary of Anne Frank . There are also free brochures available from the Anne Frank Center of New York.

Visit the Francis U. & Mary F. Ritz Library on the 3rd Floor of Hudson Hall.

World Digital Library Up and Running

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:25:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I mentioned an exciting new resource that was to debut on April 21st for scholars and interested persons - the World Digital Library. Located online at http://www.wdl.org/en/ the WDL taps into international library and university primary source content from around the world. Materials have been digitized from such prestigious institutions as the Central Library, Qatar Foundation, Library of Congress, National Diet Library (Japan), and the Center for the Study of the History of Mexico (CARSO), among others.

The interface is simple and easy to use allowing for searching via 5 different methods:

place; for example, China, Brazil, and Australia
time line; for example, 8000 BC - 499 AD, etc.
specific topic: philosophy, religion and social sciences, among others
type of item: maps, manuscripts, motion pictures, for example
institution: Bibliotecha Alexandrina, Iraqi National Library and Archives, for instance

There is a high powered zoom function associated with each item so that you can enhance the image you are looking at. Digitization quality is excellent on the books and photographs which makes for an enjoyable experience. The high level description enables you to understand what you are looking at, and if you chose you can read about the item in 7 different languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. All in all, the WDL helps make the world a smaller place and enables unique and rare content to be shared internationally.

Translations, part 2

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Back in October, the Ritz Library posted information pertaining to Translations, the annual competition whose purpose is to "explore social concerns through art". As a result of this festival competition, some of the artwork and literature submitted will be on display in the Ritz Library display case from Monday, April 27th through Friday, May 8th.

This year, Translations judged three categories: Visual Art, Reading of Literature and a special category for Social Concerns about the Hudson River. 32 entries were submitted by DCC students .

The Visual Winner was an impressive piece by Nathan Garcia. It was ceramic fishes symbolically representing how cell phone technology interferes with genuine human communication. Honorable mention in the Visual category went to Marykate Monroe’s painting “Welcome to the city that never sleeps.”

The Written winner was JonnaLynn Rouse’s moving poem “What does my future hold?” Honorable mention goes to John Zamierowski’s untitled short story about a milk jug floating in the Hudson.

The Social Concerns about the Hudson River winner was John’s story about the milk jug followed very closely by MaryKate’s painting, "Welcome to the city that never sleeps".

Congratulations to all the festival competition winners and to all the students who chose to participate in this year's event!

Stop by the Ritz Library on the 3rd floor of Hudson Hall to view some of this year's entries! To view some photos of the entries, click here.

Special thanks to Dr. Peter Phipps for putting together the bulk of this blog entry.

Try Credo for quick access to facts

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:25:00 +0000

The Ritz is testing a new service that provides fast access to accurate and up to date factual information. Called Credo Reference, this service brings together the the full text of hundreds of encyclopedias and reference books on every subject from astronomy to zoology.

To see how Credo works, logon to MyDcc. From the "Library" tab, go to "Search our Electronic Resources". Credo Reference is the first choice on the page.

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You!

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:15:00 +0000

On April 21st, the World Digital Library (WDL) will be unveiled through a collaborative effort of the Library of Congress, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and 32 partner organizations world-wide.

The WDL will present primary sources in multiple languages from countries around the world, and the interface will allow for searching in 7 different languages.

For anyone looking for primary source material, this should be a good source of original items. For further information on primary sources, check out this blog entry from April 11, 2007.

HIV/STI AWARENESS

noreply@blogger.com (Johann) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:31:00 +0000

WHEN YOU GIVE THE GIFT OF LOVE, MAKE SURE IT IS WRAPPED PROPERLY!

The Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society is sponsoring the Library Display Case for the month of April in conjunction with HIV/STI Awareness. They have provided a supply of informative pamphlets regarding HIV and Aids along with several complimentary handouts.

Visit the Francis U. and Mary F. Ritz Library Display Case, 3rd Floor, Hudson Hall, and get the information you need to give the proper gift of love.

Adding YouTube videos to Powerpoint presentations

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:02:00 +0000

Adding images from the Web to a Powerpoint presentation is as easy as cut 'n' paste. Incorporating video is different story. The best way to add media is to use the "Movie" option on Powerpoint's Insert menu, but you need to have downloaded the videoin a movie file format like .wmd or .avi for it to work right.

That's not an option if you want to use a YouTube video. Of course, you can always put a link to the YouTube URL on a slide. It means extra loading time, though, as your computer brings up the browser and the playback can look awfully messy. Here's a better way.

Download the Powerpoint add-in, "YouTube Video Wizard". Install the add-in and a new tab under "Insert" called "YouTube Video"will appear on Powerpoint. Click on it, and a series of screens will take you through the process of inserting a YouTube Video into your presentation. Interested? the add-in is available to download at YouTube Video Wizard

Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Ever face a document saved in a .wps format instead of a .doc format and wonder how you are going to open it? Most of the time when you go to open a file, the computer will automatically pick up the extension and open the file with the correct application. In some cases, this does not occur. This was the situation I encountered this morning.

Typically, .wps files are created using MS-Works. If you forget to save the file with the .doc extension, you may encounter a problem trying to open the file on another computer. Double clicking a file with an extension that the computer does not recognize will give you a list of possible applications you can use. In this case, MS-Word, the application I was looking for, was not in the list and all other "open" options led to gibberish in the file. After searching online, I found MS-Office online help which rectified the problem. Click here for the link. No one had ever attempted to open a Works file from the computer I was on this morning, so the MS-Works to Word converter had not been enabled. Enabling the converter took less than a minute and now when trying to open a .wps file, MS-Word is recommended program in the list of programs to choose.

Looking for health information?

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Have you ever been faced with a medical issue you've wanted to research? If so, be aware that The Ritz Library at DCC offers several databases covering health related information. In myDCC, click on the Library tab, then click on "Search Our Electronic Resources", Health. The Health and Wellness Center database provides consumer health information, including alternative medicine. The Nursing link provides access to clinical information through the CINAHL database or through Medline.
Speaking of Medline, according to the brochure published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the MedlinePlus.gov website was "created for consumers ... and offers free, high quality health information." Other websites touted are: ClinicalTrials.gov, DailyMed, Dietary Supplements Labels, Genetics Home Reference and NIHSeniorHealth.gov. Check out these websites for information on FDA approved drugs, testing information on new drugs, vitamin and mineral supplement contents and more.

Women's History Month

noreply@blogger.com (Johann) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Visit the Ritz Library today and view the display sponsored by the Women's Activities Committee featuring Women Taking a Lead to Save Our Planet.
When you visit, test your knowledge of women's history.

Kris Carr is an award-winning actress, best-selling author and film-maker.
Her book, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, can be found in the New Book Section of the DCC Library.

Internet Public Library

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:44:00 +0000

Have you ever heard of the Internet Public Library? It is a great online resource for information: basically, it was the first library created specifically to support the internet community. It began in 1995 as a project for the University of Michigan School of Information and over time became a well-established entity on the internet for research. ipl.org connects you to a world of librarian-approved online resources. For instance, ipl.org links directly to the Librarians' Internet Index whose tag line is "websites you can trust". Broken down into subject areas, the IPL connects you to a variety of digital sources, including websites, podcasts and other information. They have a special section for Kids and Teens Resources, Reading Rooms, Ready Reference materials such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, FAQs, Special Collections and other helpful tools. The IPL helps bring a level of comfort for website integrity when conducting research. Check it out!

BLACK HISTORY ACTIVITIES FOR WEEK OF FEBRUARY 9TH

noreply@blogger.com (Johann) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Black History Month activities continue the week of February 9th. See attached schedule for activities available this week.

Check out the display at the Ritz Library, Hudson Hall, 3rd Floor presented by the Black History Committee. View the online exhibit entitled The Missing Chapter: Untold Stories of the African American Presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley presented by SENYLRC.

Black History activity sheets and calendars are available in the Library while supplies last.

BLACK HISTORY ACTIVITIES FOR WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2nd

noreply@blogger.com (Johann) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Come celebrate Black History month at DCC!
See attached schedule for activities available the week of February 2nd.

Check out the display at the Ritz Library, Hudson Hall, 3rd Floor presented by the Black History Committee.

Black History activity sheets and calendars are available while supplies last.

Looking for the taxonomy of an Animal??

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Use the links below to get information on the full taxonomy of an animal and the origins of its scientific name:

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia
HINT! Search by the animal's name. The scientific name of the animal will appear in between quotation marks in the document.

NCBI Taxonomy Browser
National Center for Biotechnology Information Web site. HINT! Look at the "lineage" section to trace the taxonomy.

A Mammalian Lexicon
Michigan State University site which gives the meanings of the roots of taxonomic terms

Greek & Latin Roots
Meanings of Greek and Latin wordroots with the focus on their use in taxonomy

DID YOU KNOW?

noreply@blogger.com (Johann) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:37:00 +0000

Did you know that the Ritz Library subscribes to paper versions of over 300 magazines, newspapers & journals? These publications are kept in the Current Periodicals section on the 3rd floor of the Library. This area has lots of soft seating to stretch out to browse through magazines like People, Vibe or Cosmo. You'll also find today's Poughkeepsie Journal, New York Times & Wall Street Journal.

Visit us on the 3rd floor of Hudson Hall.

Do you like to Doodle?

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Do you remember when doodling meant putting pen to paper and drawing funny shapes? These days "to doodle" has a completely different meaning.

Doodle is an easy scheduling tool that anyone can use. Suppose you have ten people at different locations that you want to get together for a meeting, but you are unsure as to what dates/times work best for the participants. Using Doodle you can create a poll which allows people to select the dates/times that work best for them. Doodle organizes the results into a table for easy review.

You do not need to create a Doodle account to make use of their scheduling tools, but you can more easily manage your polls if you do. Doodle will track your polls and results if you create an account. A poll is the survey created by the administrator and sent through a participation link to the desired email addresses. The recipient follows the link back to the poll and selects what works best for him or her. Different options exist for the administrator to have control over the polling options, for example, you can create a basic yes-no-ifneedbe poll. Doodle account manager then tabulates the results so that you can easily see your options.

So, if you have a situation where people need to make a choice or schedule a meeting or event, you may want to try out Doodle. Recently, I was a participant in a Doodle poll and thought it was both a clever and useful tool. Try it out and see if it will work for you.

RSS feeds

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:41:00 +0000

RSS - Really Simple Syndication - what is it really all about? In essence, it's a way of creating your own personal daily newspaper. Ever notice this symbol on a web page? It's the symbol that indicates that a "feed" is available for that page. What's a "feed"? A feed is sent by the publication to a reader which allows you to read a summary of the article.

A reader is online software supplied through companies such as bloglines, google, yahoo, aol, etc. which allow you to set up an account to create your own daily "go to" site. In other words, instead of checking LibraryThing news every day, the New York Times book review, multiple papers, and several blogs daily, I can sign onto my bloglines account and see which feeds have been updated and which ones I would like to read. The bloglines reader presents the list of subscriptions on the left and on the right side of the reader you can see the summary of the articles for that URI. Each reader works slightly differently, but the overall concept is similar.

Like most tools available on the internet, the best way to understand it is to make use of it. For anyone who spends time going from website to website daily, it's indispensable.

Glories of the Hudson

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Are you a student interested in writing about the Hudson Valley and about history? If so, you may be interested in this call for papers:

Glories of the Hudson

The Quadricentennial Olana-Cedar Grove Joint Symposium

Hosted by the Fisher Center, Bard College

Sunday April 26, 2009

Call For Papers

“The site is a result of a careful study of the river-banks, and commands so many views of varied beauty that all the glories of the Hudson may be said to circle it.”^[1^]

“Glories of the Hudson” is a joint symposium convened by Olana State Historic Site and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and hosted by The Fisher Center at Bard College in celebration of New York State’s 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial. The goal of this particular symposium is to expand and enrich our collective understanding of the Hudson River School of Art through the exploration of interdisciplinary intersections between art and other fields of inquiry in Hudson Valley history during and throughout the 400 years celebrated. The Hudson Valley has long been at the forefront of popular movements in American history; the Hudson River and its surrounding communities have served as witness to four centuries of changing views in American culture, society, politics, and environment. In this call for papers, “Glories of the Hudson” seeks papers that demonstrate the interconnectivity between the art and architecture of the Hudson Valley and the larger historical narratives of Hudson Valley cultural, social, political, and environmental history.

This symposium is open to undergraduate and graduate students within a fifty-mile radius of Olana, Cedar Grove and Bard College. Candidates should submit a 300-500 word abstract and resume in MS Word or Adobe PDF format. Longer submissions will not be considered. Abstracts must contain a title page with author identification, but there should be no reference to the author's identity elsewhere in the abstract to enable blind review

All abstracts must be sent via email to: gregory@thomascole.org by Feb 13th, 2009. Please do not send abstracts via postal mail.

Your e-mail must contain:

your name, school, its address, your major(s), anticipated date of graduation, and degree
contact phone, address and email,
short abstract of your manuscript,
permission for Olana State Historic Site, The Olana Partnership, The Thomas Cole National Historic Site and/or Bard College to reproduce and/or publish your abstract in print or digitally for marketing and/or educational purposes
one page resume

Authors will be notified of the results of the blind peer review by March 1st, 2009.

The symposium, Glories of the Hudson, occurs in conjunction with River-themed exhibitions opening in 2009 at both Olana and Cedar Grove. The inaugural exhibition for Olana’s changing exhibits gallery, Glories of the Hudson: Frederic Church at Olana, lends the symposium its name. The paintings, oil sketches and pencil drawings chosen document Church’s passion for the Hudson River as transformed by the seasons, weather and light. In addition to the material by Church, there will be a small selection of works by contemporaries inspired by the view of the River from Olana. A similar exhibition of over a dozen Hudson River School paintings depicting the Hudson River and its tributary streams will also be on exhibit at Cedar Grove.

Submission given by Andrew Rieser for :

Gregory Rosenthal, Education Coordinator, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, (518)-943-7465 ext. 2, gregory@thomascole.org &

Carri Manchester, IPA/Director of Education, Olana State Historic Site, (518)-828-0135 ext. 305, carri.manchester@oprhp.state.ny.us

Nursing Student Alert!

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Alert for Nursing Students:

Do you have an assignment that requires you to find out about nursing license requirements? The website below (from the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions) has invaluable information for prospective nurses.

It gives the NYS license requirements for RNs, LPNs, and Nurse Practitioners. There is a listing of all nursing programs accredited by the State, and links to scholarships, grants and loans available to students.

There are descriptions of the Child Abuse Training and Infection Control Training mandated for nurses.

You can also find here the laws, rules and regulations that apply to nursing in New York State.

Just go to the following web address, and then click on Nursing in the list of professions:

http://www.op.nysed.gov/proflist.htm

Open Computer Lab in Library

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:43:00 +0000

Need to write a research paper? Create and try out a PowerPoint Presentation? Make a Brochure using Publisher?

The Ritz Library's Computer lab will be open to students during the first week of December. Library staff and Help Desk aides will be there to assist you in doing research and using Microsoft Office applications. The open computers are located in Room H224 on the 2nd floor of the library. The hours are:

Tuesday, Dec 2 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Wednesday, Dec 3 1:00 -- 4:00 pm

Thursday, Dec 4 1:00 -- 4:00 pm

Friday, Dec 5 1:00 -- 4:00 pm

Monday, Dec 8 9:00 am --Noon 1:00 -- 4:00 pm

Tuesday, Dec 9 9:00 am --Noon 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Questions or comments? Call (845) 431-8639 or email Reference

Library Extended hours!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:30:00 +0000

The Ritz Library will be open late Monday through Thursday and on Saturday for the first two weeks of December. Extended hours of operation are:

December 1 - December 13

Monday -- Thursday 8:00 am -- 10:00 pm
Friday 800 am -- 5:00 pm
Saturday 1:00 am -- 5:00 pm

Questions or comments? Call (845) 431-8639 or email Reference

OpenOffice.org

tina.kiernan@sunydutchess.edu (Tina Kiernan) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:26:00 +0000

Do you use a laptop or a desk top that does NOT have Microsoft Office installed?

If yes,
then go to http://www.openoffice.org/
else
go to end.

OpenOffice.org is a free productivity suite offered by Sun Microsystems. As open source software, it is available in multiple languages for download and, let me repeat, is free! Open Office offers word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, and database creation similar to Microsoft Office. It is also MS-Office compatible, meaning you can save files in the format used by Microsoft. However, OpenOffice.org version 3 does not offer the ability to store files in the new Microsoft 2007 formats yet.

Not sure what option to use once you've downloaded the software? OpenOffice Writer is the equivalent of Word, OpenOffice Calc equates to Excel, OpenOffice Impress can be used to create presentations like Powerpoint does, OpenOffice Base allows you to build databases like Access, and OpenOffice Math lets you create and edit scientific formulas.

Enjoy!