Tutoring Resources

Besides the e-tutoring website, NVCC offers a couple of options for on-campus tutoring, all of which are free and allow walk-ins.

The first option is the Writing Center. Located in Ekstrom 502, it is open from 9-2:30 Monday and Wednesday, 9-4 on Tuesday and 11-4 on Thursday. To get the most out of your visit to the Writing Center, make sure you bring your assignment and a rough draft with you. Call 575-8153 if you need to talk with them, but no appointment is required!

The second option is the Math Lab. The Math Lab is in Ekstrom 302, and is open from 9:30-7 Monday and Tuesday, 9:30-5:30 Wednesday and Thursday, and 9:30-1:30 Friday and Saturday. No appointment is required, and the Math Lab tutors for all math classes. A current student ID card is required (which you can get at the info desk, 5th floor of Kinney).

The third option is the Science Exploration Center (SEC). The SEC divides its time for specific classes, so visit their webpage to see the detailed schedule.

Annotated Bibliographies

Liz Frechette, librarian extraordinare, has created a fantastic handout on annotated bibliographies. To find it, follow the Research Handouts link on the library homepage, or use this handy shortcut: http://www.nv2.commnet.edu/library/LibRefResources/Annotated_Bibliography.pdf

Cold? Come check out our new FIREPLACE. Really!

We're pulling out all the stops for the reading that will take place in room L524 on Wednesday- we're getting a fireplace!!

Well, a prop fireplace. It comes from the theatre department. But it's so cool, and it's going to look awesome.

Did we mention that there would be hot chocolate served?

Women's History Resources

American Women's History A Research Guide

Women's History Resources from the Library of Congress.

Check out the History Reference Center Database.

Read with the President- Wed Feb 4- at the library!

College President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., will help to kick off a series of library readings on Wednesday, February 4 from 1-2 p.m., in the Max R. Traurig Library at NVCC.

Dr. De Filippis will read her essay “The House that Mamá Biela Built,” which was published as part of the Telling To Live collection that received a Human Rights award in 2001.

The program will also include readings by NVCC student Mauricio Pita-Goncalves, vice president of the student government association, and Elizabeth Frechette, librarian.

“We want the experience to be a cozy gathering of people who love reading and connecting with other people,” said De Filippis. “Hearing the power of the written word spoken is a way to connect people, to bring them together.”

Each reader will choose a 10-15 minute reading and discuss its meaning, their interpretation and the significance of the reading to them. The audience will also have a chance to interact with the readers and share their own thoughts and feelings.

The event will take place in room L524. Hot chocolate and light refreshments will be served. Please call Elaine Milnor, program coordinator, at the library (x8147) for additional information.

Welcome (Back)!

The spring 09 semester is upon us and the library staff would like to welcome you, or welcome you back, to campus! If you have any questions, please call (575-8024), IM (see left), or stop by on the 4th floor of the L building.

Here are some quick facts:

• We're open 8-8 M-T, 8-6 W-R, 8-12 F, and 10-2 Sat.
• The main phone number is (203) 575-8024.
• If you don't have an ID number and password yet, you can still use a computer.
• If you don't have a ID card yet, you can still check things out.
• We have fun things too- movies, music, books. Check out the music and movies links on the right sidebar of this blog to see some of our latest additions.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

New CDs at the library! January edition

They came! Here's the most recent additions to the library music collection:

• Will Bernard BLUE PLATE SPECIAL
• JUNO Soundtrack
• Britney Spears CIRCUS
• The Kills MIDNIGHT BOOM
• The Killers HOT FUSS and DAY & AGE
• Pink FUNHOUSE
• Patti Austin AVANT GERSHWIN
• Suzanne Vega BEAUTY & CRIMES
• Nickelback DARK HORSE
• Katy Perry ONE OF THE BOYS
• T.I. PAPER TRAIL
• Weezer RED ALBUM

New music and movies are on display by the circulation desk. Stop by to check them out (ha ha. That never gets old).

Winter Break at the Library

Whether you're on campus to register for classes, take a wintersession course, or just use a computer, make sure you stop by the library. Not only are the librarians here to help you, but we have lots of books, movies and music that you can check out to entertain you over the break.

And that means you too, faculty!

Winter break library hours

Did you dig yourself out of the snow? We did, and it's the last official day of exams. Starting tomorrow, the library will switch to our winter break hours, which are:

Monday- Thursday 8-4
Friday 8-12
Saturday and Sunday Closed

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Is Google Your Security Blanket?

Off Campus Access

Why you can't find any articles about your topic

Have you ever chosen a topic, only to find that there are practically NO academic journal articles about it? Why is that? It could be a couple of things-

Is it something that *just* happened? Academic journal articles take a while to write, be reviewed, and then get published. Some academic journals come out a few times a year. If you are looking for something very recent, you'll need to look in newspapers or maybe magazine articles for more information.

Are you looking for the history or background on something? Academic journal articles tend to be on specific topics- answering a question rather than explaining what something is. If you topic is the history of gangsters in America, you will need to look for a book instead.

BUT... try to think of a question about that topic. Try "How did prohibition affect gangster activity?" Pick the keywords from that question "prohibition" and "gangsters" and put each word in a different box on the Advanced Search screen.

Are you looking in the right database? The databases have different focuses. Are you looking for something on football? Try the General (InfoTrac) OneFile database. Information on recycling? GreenFILE is a great place to start. A hot topic like abortion? Try Opposing Viewpoints first.

Have you asked the librarian for help? We want to help you- that is why we're here! Just because you can't find something doesn't mean it's a lost cause. Stop by, call, email or IM and ask!

Thanksgiving Week Hours

Hello all! Here are our Thanksgiving Week Hours. Have a great holiday!

MONDAY 8-8
TUESDAY 8-8
WEDNESDAY 8-6
THURSDAY CLOSED
FRIDAY CLOSED
SATURDAY CLOSED

Regular hours resume next week, December 1st!

Becoming a blog reader

If you're new to blogs, you might not know a lot about how to navigate them, find them, and have them delivered to your mailbox. Here's a few tips I've picked up over the years:

The easiest ways to keep track of the blogs you read are to bookmark them, or to use a feed reader. If you bookmark them on your computer, then you have the blog and website addresses stored when you are at home. However, if you want to be able to access your links anywhere, a great tool to use is called Delicious. (It used to be called del.icio.us but that was apparently too complicated for most people). You create a user account, add your websites and blogs, and tag them with subjects to organize them. You can do a lot of cool things with Delicious, so I recommend checking it out!

For feed readers, the easiest and most popular are the Google reader and FeedReader . You create an account, add the blogs you like, and any time there's a new post, it's delivered right to your reader page or your email. Very easy!

If you're searching for a blog, the Google blog search is usually a good place to start. Another great website is called Technorati- it lets you search or browse through blogs, and also sorts them by popularity and by subject.

There are plenty of other sites that do similar things, but these are just the few that I use regularly. It's amazing how much cool stuff is out there, waiting to be discovered. Case in point- check out this blog, called Waterbury Thoughts. It's really, really great!

Online renewals

Did you know that you can renew your books/cds/movies online now? It's true! This is how you do it:

1. Go to the library homepage
2. Click Library Online Catalog (under Research Tools)
3. Click Patron


4. Enter your Banner ID and your last name and click Login
5. Renew! You can renew anything that is not overdue or on hold for another person. You're allowed to renew items one time.

Please contact the circulation desk at 203.575.8024 if you have any questions!

Today is the day to make your voice heard

Today may be the first time you have ever voted for a president, and this is an amazing, historic race. Those people on tv, the pundits, say that you (the youth) won't vote- that you won't show up, you'll be busy or distracted.

Don't prove them right.

Here are some facts:

You need to be in line by 8:00 pm. Even if it's past 8, if you're already in line, you can vote, per the Attorney General.

If you didn't register, you can still vote. Go to your town clerk's office and ask for a presidential ballot. Connecticut and Rhode Island are the only states that allow this.

If you know you registered and you go to vote, and someone tells you that you can't because you're not registered or you don't have the proper id, ask for a "provisional ballot." You can vote and they will check and count your vote once they have verified your status.

If you're blind, you can vote by phone. Get to a polling place and ask to use the special phone.

Bring ID. Bring your driver's license, a paycheck, a utility bill, or your social security card.

Visit http://www.vote-ez-ct.com/index.php for more information.

If you have any problems, if someone tells you something you know isn't true, like one party votes today and another votes tomorrow, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).

Today is the last day to register to vote

You have until 8pm to register to vote- and remember- if you've moved, even in the same town, since the last time you registered, you need to re-register.

This is your chance to make your opinion count.

Also- make sure your license has your correct address on it (or a change of address sticker) so you don't get turned away at the polls. The historic quality of this election leads me to believe they'll be checking every voter very carefully.

You can get the change of address stickers at the DMV or at the police station. (I just found that out yesterday when I called the registrar).

Also, you can call the registrar in your town to make sure you're registered and find out where you vote. Just Google your town's name and "registrar."

Now go do it! :)

New CDs! New DVDs!

We just received our latest shipment of new music and movies. Here's what we got:

Music

• Estelle- Shine
• A Night in Dominican Republic
• Michael Doucet- From Now On
• Radiohead- In Rainbows
• Wye Oak- If Children
• Coldplay- Viva la Vida
• John Hiatt- Same Old Man
• Jakob Dylan- Seeing Things
• The Ting Tings- We Started Nothing
• Cat Power- Jukebox
• Los Lonely Boys- Forgiven
• Old 97's- Blame it on Gravity
• Orchestra Brobab- Made in Dakar
• Joan Osborne- Little Wild One
• Van Morrison- Keep it Simple
• Wyclef jean Carnival Vol II... Memoirs of an Immigrant
• La India Canela- Merengue Tipico from the Dominican Republic
• Beck- Modern Guilt
• Bolero Chill Out
• Loudon Wainwright III- Recovery
• Gnarls Barkley- The Odd Couple
• Eliza Carthy- Dreams of Breathing Underwater
• Emmylou Harris- All I Intended to Be

And for movies, there are more to come, but so far:

• Becoming Jane
• I'm Not There (that's the Bob Dylan movie)
• The Red Balloon

e-tutoring- there when you need it

Did you know that Naugatuck Valley Community College students have free access to a site called eTutoring? It's true!

eTutoring is a site that allows you to submit an assignment draft and receive feedback, or use a live chat session to get advice. Here's how you do it:

go to www.eTutoring.org
select "Northeast eTutoring Consortium"
from the drop down menu, select Naugatuck Valley Community College
click "Need an Account?"

you will need an email address and your student ID number to register. If you don't have an email address, you can create a gmail account at http://mail.google.com

Please let us know if you have any questions!