Monday, November 22, 2010

Use our new laptops in 2nd Floor Group Study Rooms

Did you know that the Library now has laptops with webcams that you can use in the Library's 2nd Floor Group Study Rooms? Now when you need to work on a group project or you have an assignment that requires you to create a video-recording,you can check out a laptop from the Media Desk and use it in one of our 2nd floor rooms.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Got the Term Paper Blues? Help is on the way!

Do you have a research paper due soon? Here's a golden opportunity you won't want to miss: Term Paper Clinics, held in the Library Instruction Lab (70-267)

Wed., 11/24/10 9am-11am.
Mon., 11/29 10am-noon.
Tues., 11/30 9am-11am.
Wed., 12/1/10 12:30pm-2:30pm

Doing the research for a paper can be challenging. Students often need help navigating through the subscription databases provided by the Library, so here's a chance to get help from a friendly librarian.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Looking for a Career?

Remember when you were a kid and people would ask you,"What do you want to be when you grow up?" If you're still looking for the answer to that question, have we got a resource for you! Take a look at the library's new Career eBooks web page:
http://www.grossmont.edu/library/careerbooks.asp

Friday, September 17, 2010

Visit your library Monday, October 4, 2010

On this day Grossmont College Library, along with libraries across California, will participate in Snapshot: One Day in the Life of California's Libraries by collecting information, comments, and photographs from events in a typical library day.

We want you in the picture! Stop by the Reference Desk on Oct. 4. We'll be collecting statistics and patron quotes and submitting these to the California Library Association.

Come help us advocate for libraries!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Renting versus buying textbooks: Which is better?

Is it better to rent your textbooks? Would you save even more money if you bought the book and then sold it when you’re done with it? Where’s the best place online to buy cheap textbooks? If these questions are keeping you up at night, you’ll want to check out Book.ly, a website that lets you buy, rent, or sell textbooks.

Book.ly’s goal is “to make buying and selling books easier, faster, and more cost effective.” They specialize in college textbooks. When you search for a textbook, you’ll see a comparison of purchase, rental, or eBook prices from numerous retailers.

Book.ly is worth a look: http://book.ly/

For an in-depth look at eTextbooks, click on Traditional Textbooks vs. eTextbooks--Which is Right for You?

Friday, August 27, 2010

Discount software: Microsoft Office 2007

Do you need to purchase Office 2007 but want a good price? Students are eligible to purchase Office 2007 and other software at a discount from these sites: http://www.uscollegebuy.com/s.htm
www.campustech.com
www.journeyed.com/SELECT

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Textbook Hints

Grossmont College Bookstore is a great place to get textbooks – but what if yours has not yet come in? You have Ross Books of course, but….did you know …..

. Free use of textbooks is possible in your library? Check the Reserve area of the library for your textbook. If we don’t have it, you might want to ask your instructor if he or she can place their copy on reserve in the library.

. You can fill out a "Textbooks on Reserve Request Form" at the Library. We will purchase as many requested textbooks as our funds allow. Textbooks will be purchased based on student demand and made available in our Reserves section. Request forms must be completed by Augst 31st at 8:00pm. Questions? Just ask at the Reference Desk!

· You can rent textbooks for much cheaper than buying them? Check out http://www.chegg.com

· You can compare prices of textbooks from online booksellers? There are a number of comparison sites: try http://www.addall.com/ for starters.

A couple of useful additional hints:
ISBN:
The ISBN of the book is not always best to use when searching for a book – you might have the ISBN of the hardcover, but what if there is an ISBN of a soft cover that is cheaper? You won’t find it. Try the title instead.

Correct edition of your text:
There may be quite a few editions of your textbook for rent or sale – check to make sure you are ordering the correct one. That’s an advantage to using our bookstore – they always have the correct edition.

Selling a text:
Our bookstore is, of course, a great place to sell back your text. But if for some reason you can’t sell it there, there are a number of sites that purchase used books – http://www.valorebooks.com is one you might check out.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Term Paper Clinics

Do you have a paper due in a couple of weeks? Could you use a little help with your research? Come on over to the library for our Term Paper Clinics to get expert help! No need to sign up, just drop on by the library and stay for some or all of the scheduled times:

Wednesday, July 14th, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Room 70-267 (on 2nd floor of library)
Wednesday, July 21st, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Room 70-267 (on 2nd floor of library)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Grossmont College Library open an extra hour daily!

The students requested it ... and they got it!

The good news is that Grossmont Library is open one hour earlier every day for the rest of the summer. Rather than opening at 9 am, from Wednesday July 7 through the end of the term, Thursday July 22, we will open at 8 am.

That's one extra hour per day to peruse library databases, meet friends in the library's e-chat cafe, or create a Word document on library computers.

Keep that feedback coming - we *do* listen!

Monday, May 17, 2010

More term paper help!

Our instruction librarian, Michelle Blackman is ready to help with research and other term paper difficulties this week in room 70-267 on the 2nd floor :

Tuesday 5/18 from 3 to 5PM;
Wednesday 5/19 from 8 to 10AM.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Library hours and term paper help

The semester is almost over and you are undoubtedly busy studying for final exams and writing papers. If you would like some term paper help, our instruction librarian, Michelle Blackman, is waiting to lend a hand in room 70-267 (2nd floor of the library) on 5/11 from 11AM to 1PM, 5/12 from 12PM to 2Pm and on 5/13 from 8AM to 10AM.

The library hours remain the same till the end of this semester, Monday – Thursday from 8AM to 8PM and Friday from 8AM to 3PM. During the Summer semester from June 14th till July 22nd the library will be open Monday through Thursday from 9AM to 8PM, except holidays.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Free Tax preparation help

Tax Day is coming! There is one more week to file your federal and state taxes. If you did not do it yet don’t worry; there are many places in San Diego where you can get help. You can even file online if you click here: http://www.myfreetaxes.com . The toolbox on the right gives useful information about what documents you need for preparing your tax report, what deductions exist for students and families with children and also what happens after filing your taxes. If you rather would like to talk with someone, just type in your zip code to find the closest help center. The local county and public branch libraries provide tax forms, or online help here: http://sdpublic.sdcounty.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=93,298379&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL and here: http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/searching-the-net/taxforms.shtml .Good luck!

Monday, February 22, 2010

New! Library Research Goes Mobile!

Would you like to use your smartphone to find research articles and then email the articles to yourself? Some of Grossmont Library's most popular databases can now be searched right from your mobile phone, using EBSCOhost Mobile.

Just go to the Library Homepage (http://www.grossmont.edu/library) and click on the Databases link in the left menu. You’ll be prompted to login with your username (firstname.lastname) and your password (if you're a student, it's your six digit birthday--MMDDYY; if you're faculty or staff, it's the password you use to connect to campus email). At the top of our list of databases, click on "Mobile Ebsco" to be taken to an application that is tailor-made for the smaller screens of mobile devices.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

E-books in the Grossmont Library

Have you noticed the ever changing “eBook of the Month” link on the library home page? The link takes you to the Netlibrary page, http://www.netlibrary.com , which is the home page for thousands of eBooks. You can search there by title, author, keyword, publisher or available foreign languages.
If you can’t find the book you have to read for your class, or just simply curious, it is worth to check what titles Grossmont Library has access on Netlibrary. To find them, click on “type” to choose “electronic book”, on the library catalog page, under “advanced search”. http://opac.gcccd.edu/uhtbin/webcat
By filling in the keyword, title, author, or subject information, you’ll see if you can read the book immediately online.
If you are hesitant to read online or like the idea of having a physical book, I’d like to introduce a list of the most appealing advantages of eBooks:
They have:
Extra features - you can follow links for more information, search and highlight text, print out short paragraphs, etc.
They are:
Instantaneous - you are only a couple of clicks away from reading them 24/7.
Portable - if you have a laptop and internet connection, you can connect to the Grossmont library page or Netlibrary from anywhere.
Easy to use - easy to find books in catalog and easy to access them by link, no check-out required and no late fees either; text size and font size can be changed for easy reading.
It sounds like a perfect solution, isn’t it? However, as everything this has some limitations, as well.
For example, copyright issues can effect how much you can print, or you have to have an internet connection and a computer or reading device to actually read eBooks. You can’t lend your copy to your friend and if you like the smell and feel of a physical book, you won’t experience it with eBooks.
However, in this fast paced time the convenience of eBooks gives you enough reason to give them a try. Good luck and if you have any questions don’t forget to ask the librarians!