Saturday, October 16, 2010

Opposing Viewpoints, Updated and Redesigned

Renamed and Improved Database for "Hot Topics"

  • Carbon offsets
  • Genetically modified food
  • Texting while driving
Students come to the library seeking the latest and best information on topical issues like these, and they often rely on sources such as the online Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center from Gale/Cengage. This database delivers a wide variety of content (journal articles, statistics, primary sources, web links, and reference book excerpts) and provided extra tools to help users organize and document their research papers and presentations.

Recently, Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center became Opposing Viewpoints in Context and with this title change came some welcome new features. In addition to a cleaner more image-rich interface, the database now provides:
  • More than 14,000 pro/con viewpoint essays
  • 5,000+ topic overviews
  • More than 300 primary source documents
  • 300 biographies of social activists and reformers
  • More than 775 court-case overviews
  • 5 million periodical articles
  • Nearly 6,000 statistical tables, charts and graphs
  • Nearly 70,000 images and a link to Google Image Search
  • Thousands of podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses and premier NPR programs
  • A national and state curriculum standards search, correlated to the content that allows educators to quickly identify material by grade and discipline
Sample some provocative Opposing Viewpoints in Context through your library’s web site (use is restricted to the LBCC campus community). Point your browser to http://lib.lbcc.edu/.” (If you’re off campus remember to authenticate yourself by clicking this button

Click next on “Articles and Databases” on the left side of the screen, then select “Opposing
Viewpoints” from the menu.

For more information contact: Nenita Buenaventura, Access Services Librarian
goodventure04@gmail.com

Library Update #79

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Foster Information Literate Students

Intervention Can Help Boost Student Performance

Disappointed by the Quality of Student Papers/Projects/Presentations?

Information literacy can boost class performance.

Concerned about students that are getting behind, appearing more confused and overwhelmed with each class assignment? It’s not too late to avert a regrettable outcome.

Information literacy fosters student success
  • That’s why the California Community Colleges have incorporated information literacy standards into every CCC curriculum

LBCC Librarians promote information literacy by:
  • Orientations that provide step by step demonstrations of how to find, retrieve, organize, evaluate and synthesize the facts, opinions, statistics, and other information they need for their assignments
  • Collaborating with instructional faculty to develop assignments that will motivate (perhaps even inspire) students by helping them appreciate the valueof research that goes beyond a web browser

It’s easy to schedule an orientation for your class, electronically via the Library web
site at http://lib.lbcc.edu/forms/orientation.cfm ; or print the form, complete it, and send to Kim Barclay (LAC) or Dr. Sethuraman (PCC). One can also complete the form at the
reference desks at LAC or PCC Library.

For more information contact: Kim Barclay kbarclay@lbcc.edu

Library Update #78