Memorable Library Visits

When you bring your students to the Library for a tour or orientation, we always try to do everything we can to make the visit stand out for your students. Many of them have never been to our library before and others have never been to a library like ours before. Students frequently leave with a new Library card, a couple useful handouts and maybe a map or bookmark.

Students can also leave the Library with a greater understanding of how the Library can help them reach their academic and personal goals. Library assignments and activities can cement the role of the Library as a key ingredient to lifelong learning in the minds of your students.

Assignments and activities can be anything from a full-fledged research project to a fun, simple scavenger hunt. Are your students working on their reading skills? Have them find a reader in our new PE999 Graded Reader area. Are you discussing jobs and careers in class? Create an activity around the resources in the College and Career Information Center.

The possibilities are endless and what’s more is that there’s no need for you to take time to develop an assignment to meet your class’ needs from scratch. There are several example activities ABE/GED and ESL orientation pages in the Research Guides. Don’t see a good match for your students? Let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll work with you to put together the perfect assignment, activity or assessment.

New in the Library

Speaking of Values : Intermediate Conversation by Irene E. Schoenberg- on reserve for ESL 0881/0882/0883
Speaking of Values provides a lively forum for students to compare their ideas and values with classmates in a comfortable environment that encourages the development of both language and critical thinking skills.

Out & About in the World of Computers: An Introductory Computer Course for Beginning English Learners by Amy Hemmert and Tina Sander- PE1127.E44 H466 2008
Aims to help beginning learners of English to succeed in the world of computers by developing their skills and confidence with Microsoft Word, the Internet, and email (while reinforcing their English skills)

Academic Listening Encounters
The Academic Encounters series uses a sustained content approach to teach skills necessary for taking academic courses in English. Topics include civil rights, traditional American values in relation to life today, country music, sports, and the globalization of American slang. Students practice note-taking skills, discuss content, express their personal opinions, and make presentations.

American Studies : Listening, Note Taking, Discussion by Kim Sanabria & Carlos Sanabria- PE1128 .S23 2008
Teacher's Manual : Listening, Note Taking, and Discussion by Kim Sanabria and Carlos Sanabria- PE1128 .S232 2008

Resource of the Month

instaGrok
http://instagrok.com

There are lots of online tools that show users how words are related. Some thesaurus websites use them, Google even had its own for a while. instaGrok stands out as a tool for learning for several reasons.

First, instaGrok presents its search tool as a question: “What would you like to learn about?” Curiosity instantly takes hold-- what would I like to learn about? A quick search results not only in a dynamic illustration of that topic and it’s related terms, but a sidebar full of additional information on the subject including Key Facts, Websites, Videos, Images, Quizzes and Concepts.

Users can adjust results according to difficulty with the slide of a button at the top of the screen (with icons of Einstein and the ABCs at either end).

With a free account, users can log in and create curated journals of the search process. instaGrok offers three different user types: General, Teacher and Student.

Library Renovation

As many of you may already know, the Library is scheduled to undergo a major renovation during the 2012-2013 academic year. During this time, the Library will be open, but our space will be severely constrained.

Construction in the upper-level of the Library will begin in August 2012 and everything up there (offices, Technical Services, the entire General Collection) will have to find new space somewhere else. We will move some items downstairs where they will share floorspace with a selected Reference Collection, study space, computers and service desks. Much more (70-80%) will move to the OCC where we will maintain closed stacks. These items will be available by request within 24 hours.

August is a long way off yet (and feels even further than that!) but I’m giving you all this advanced warning in hopes that this will provide you with some time to think about materials that you can’t do without. Are there Library videos that you always show in class? Are there books that your students must be able to check out? Does your syllabus include recommended reading or required texts?

Please take some time this semester to think about the Library items to which you and your students will need ready access next year. Bring those items to my attention-- send me a list of titles or call numbers, pull the items from the shelves and hand them to me in my office, call me up and describe what you need-- and I’ll make sure these items are included in our temporary collection or put on reserve.

If you have any questions about this upcoming renovation project, what it means for materials access, library instruction or any other implications, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Library Cards

Did you know that your students don’t need to come to the Library to get a Library card? Of course students can get cards at any of our Centers for Independent Learning, but you can also arrange for your entire class to receive Library cards. Just download a Library Card application from the Library’s website, copy and distribute to your students. Send the completed applications along with a copy of your class roster to the Library’s Circulation Desk via campus mail, and within a week, we’ll send you your students Library cards!

It’s an easy way to make sure your students have access to the Library’s many ESL, ABE and GED resources.

New in the Library

Academic English Vocabulary for International Students: The Key to Success in College by Bill Walker - PE1449 .W354 2010

Maximum English - Kit includes 7 CDs and three books: Advanced Grammar by Barbara Raifsnider, Idioms by Rachel Varra and Verbs written by Louise Stracke - PE1128 .M3975 2008

What to Do For Health, Easy to Read, Easy to Use series

• What to Do When Your Child Is Heavy - PE1127.H98 M38 2011
• What to Do When You’re Having a Baby - PE1127.H98 M383 2011
• What to Do for Health Teeth - PE1127.H98 M478 2011
• What to Do for Kids with Asthma - PE1127.H98 G353 2011
• What to Do for Teen Health - PE1127.H98 M384 2010

Resource of the Month

Simple English Wikipedia
http://simple.wikipedia.org/

There is no denying that Wikipedia is a popular and useful resource. For those of us who spend time on computers, using Wikipedia for quick reference becomes second nature- - often replacing the use of print encyclopedias for fact-checking and fact-finding.

Simple English Wikipedia’s 76,000+ articles are primarily written in Basic English and Special English. The homepage offers an About Wikipedia section, a regularlychanging Selected Article, a “Did You Know...” fact box with links to articles, and “Knowledge Groups” an index of article categories which includes “Applied Science”, “People and Anthropology”, “Daily Life, Art and Culture” as well as others.

In addition to Simple English Wikipedia’s usefulness as a reference source for basic research and a tool for reading skills, the online encyclopedia can also be used as a writing tool. As with the full edition of Wikipedia, Simple English Wikipedia can be edited by anyone atany time. A Schools Gateway makes the editing process even easier for students, with a tutorial, help center and sandbox, where students can practice editing without going into actual articles.

Using Simple English Wikipedia in a classroom setting can provide students with valuable information seeking skills as well as an understanding of the organization and origins of information and the Web.

Thinking Ahead to the Spring

There may only be a few weeks left of the fall semester, but a lot of us are already planning for spring. Here in the Library, we’re putting together our schedule for SOS and SOS Online workshops-- keep an eye out for the coming semester’s line-up! SOS workshops, whether in-person or online, are a great way for you and your students to learn something new. Almost every week we offer sessions about research, library tools and skills, technology, and life skills. All workshops are free and taught by COD Librarians. We’re also making great headway with our newly organized Graded Readers area-- if you haven’t browsed the stacks in a while, stop by and take a look. Series are now shelved together, making finding a particular reading level, title or genre that much easier.

This past summer, the Library received funds that could be put toward the purchase of materials supporting special populations. A good amount of that money came my way to use for ESL and ABE/GED books, CDs and DVDs. As those items begin hitting the shelves, I’ll make a note of them in this newsletter. Take a look at a few of these newly added items below!

As you’re planning ahead for the next semester, don’t forget to include the Library in your syllabus or course outline. A visit to the Library or a visit from a librarian is an effective way to introduce your students to the rich and varied resources available to them. Take a look at some of the orientations and activities available for ESL and ABE/GED classes in the Faculty section of the Research Guides (http://library.codlibrary.org/abe/orientations or http://library.codlibrary.org/esl/orientations). I’m also happy to customize sessions to meet the unique needs of your students. Just let me know what you’d like to do and when you’d like to do it!

Of course, you can contact me any time with orientation requests, material recommendations or any other question or comment, but scheduling is always easier earlier than later!

I’ve enjoyed working with you and your students this semester, and look forward to more of the same in the Spring. Happy holidays and have a wonderful winter break.

New in the Library

Connect with English (DVD) PE1128.A2 C666 2010
A dramatic new way for speakers of other languages to learn English. Through the story of Rebecca, an aspiring singer on a journey across America, the series touches on life's important issues: leaving home, parenting, education, work, love, success, and loss. Video segments are fifteen-minutes each

Easy Pronunciation PE1137 .E279 2009
Helps listeners improve their American English pronunciation through the use of natural conversational English. Includes 6 CDs and accompanying book.

Effective Meetings (DVD) PE1127.B86 E34 2005
Takes learners systematically through the core communication and language skills needed to participate effectively in meetings, and helps them to develop these skills in meaningful and realistic ways. Illustrates both bad and good extracts from meetings for analysis and discussion

Effective Telephoning (DVD) PE1127.B86 E35 2005
Covers the main aspects of telephone calls from preparation and organization to problem solving, confirming arrangements and closing calls. Provides both good and bad examples of telephone behavior for analysis and discussion

Resource of the Month

Grammar Girl
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com

Grammar Girl is an educational podcast and website that has been providing “quick and dirty tips for better writing” since 2006. Host Mignon Fogerty dispenses advice, clears up common confusions and generally makes the subject of grammar fun and fascinating.

“Episodes” appear weekly, occasionally more than once a week, and focus on a single question, concern or topic. Recent episodes have addressed the true meaning of the word “brouhaha”, the distinctions between “riffle” and “rifle”, as well as “10 tips to banish typos”. A handy list of most popular tips are highlighted on the site’s homepage.

Grammar Girl’s origins as a podcast make the content highly flexible. Users can subscribe to the podcast and receive updates automatically, either to a computer or mp3 player. Visitors to the site can listen to episodes from a built-in audio player and every episode is also available as an article, allowing visitors to read, or read along to the audio podcast. Users can also submit questions of their own for the Grammar Girl’s consideration.

The Library has a copy of Fogarty’s grammar handbook “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Writing”, an excellent companion to the website and podcast.

Making Graded Readers Easier to Find

Keep your eyes open for some changes in the Library stacks! I'm working with Technical Services to make graded readers and other short books in the PE section easier to find, both on the shelf and in the Library catalog.

If you have ever browsed the literacy collection in the stacks, you know how challenging it can be to find the small books that can be so helpful to the emerging, reluctant or striving readers the collection supports. Although we have many series that our students enjoy (Oxford Bookworms, Double Fastbacks, Grass Roots Readers) the books are scattered over several shelves-- contained only by the plastic magazine racks that keep them from disappearing altogether. Some readers, because of their subject matter, are interfiled with much larger workbooks or textbooks and are essentially lost in the shuffle.

Starting with the enjoyable Thumbprint Mysteries series, the Library will be recataloging readers to make them easy to spot on the shelf and easy to find in the online catalog.  Here are some of the changes you can look for:

• New call numbers: Readers, like Fatal Fiction, book 1 of the Lin Hill Mysteries will have call numbers that start with PE999. This new number will allow us to pull the readers out of their spaces they share with workbooks and textbooks and place them at the end of all the other books in this range, creating a browsable destination for students.
• Series Information: When you look at the record for a reader in the Library's online catalog, you will now see information about the series in which it belongs. For a Thumbprint Mystery like Champagne at Risk, you'll see: 

• New Subject Headings: Finding readers in the online catalog used to be a headache since there was no over-arching descriptor (subject heading) to unite them all in one place. Many readers had the subject: Readers for New Literates, but this category encompassed over 1600 titles and included textbooks and workbooks as well.  Soon, a subject search for Graded Readers will provide a list of all the short fiction and nonfiction to which we point our students who are looking for high-interests reads at their particular skill levels. You can try this search now-- we currently have over 80 of our reader titles in this new category, including books from the new Junkyard Dan series, Open Door series and Smith Brothers series. Check back regularly, as new books are being added all the time.

Let me know if you have any questions about these changes or can't find a title that you're looking for.

As always, I'm taking suggestions and recommendations for adding to the ESL and ABE/GED collections. Send your textbook, workbook, video, audio, software or professional development resource requests to me and I'll be sure you're notified when the material is available.

Resource of the Month

Khan Academy
www.khanacademy.org

Khan Academy is an online library of over 2000 educational videos. Currently, Khan Academy's strength lies in math and science, with hundreds of videos just covering developmental math topics, but the website offers introductions to many topics including the sciences, humanities, finance and test prep.

Videos tend to be short, but depending on the topic, can be in the 10-15 minute range. Individual videos can stand alone, but are arranged as parts of playlists-- watch "Parts of a Cell" and you are prompted to watch "Diffusion and Osmosis", a logical next topic.

Watching a Khan Academy videos is like watching a 21st century blackboard: viewers are presented a black screen onto which the instructor, generally founder Sal Khan, draws and writes-- no PowerPoint or other distractions and we never see the instructor himself. His voice is clear and easily understandable, even if his illustrations are at times shaky and awkward.

For the student who excels with audio/visual aids, Khan Academy is an easy accessible tool that can provide the assistance needed to succeed, expand horizons or review familiar material.