Need something new to look at while mindlessly browsing the net? Check out PC Magazine's Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites! It's full of fun and useful websites that you might otherwise never come across in your attempts to navigate the ridiculously vast web of knowledge that is the Internet. I especially like footnote, which is ideal for the history lover and has a partnership with The National Archives to digitize historic documents; and Uncyclopedia, a site that is essentially Wikipedia's evil twin (not quite academic but fun to browse nevertheless!).
Monday, September 24, 2007
PC Magazine's Top 100 Sites
Need something new to look at while mindlessly browsing the net? Check out PC Magazine's Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites! It's full of fun and useful websites that you might otherwise never come across in your attempts to navigate the ridiculously vast web of knowledge that is the Internet. I especially like footnote, which is ideal for the history lover and has a partnership with The National Archives to digitize historic documents; and Uncyclopedia, a site that is essentially Wikipedia's evil twin (not quite academic but fun to browse nevertheless!).
New Books List
Now, an easy way to see new books and other resources available through the Library. Just go to our new title list on the Library website to see new nonfiction, fiction and audiobooks recently added to the Library's collections.
If you have an account with an RSS reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines, you can also subscribe to our RSS feeds of new title lists.
If you have an account with an RSS reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines, you can also subscribe to our RSS feeds of new title lists.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
In the GTCC Library Collection-William Gibson's Spook Country
The World We Live In-William Gibson's Spook Country
The godfather of the cyberpunk movement in science fiction continues his transition into telling tales about the here and now in Spook Country, which both is and is not a spy novel, as the title might lead you to think. There is plenty of cloak-and-dagger in Spook Country, but as in Pattern Recognition, Gibson's other novel set in the early 21st century, the cloak-and-dagger bits are really just the frame of a plot Gibson needs to spin out his observations about society, politics, homeland security, the war in Iraq, humans and technology, and even what I took to be a crack about Scientology. For those more familiar with Gibson's earlier novels such as Neuromancer or Mona Lisa Overdrive, do not despair-the sharp understanding of where we are going with our technology is here as well. Among other things, Gibson envisions a use of the Ipod that I'm fairly certain Steve Jobs never intends to happen. The usual cast of those living in the shadows of society and used by the powers-that-be is here as well. Gibson writes with empathy for those living in the cracks of the walls of the larger society around them.
Effortlessly written and dryly hilarious, Spook Country is also a dispassionate dissection of the policies of the Bush administration in matters of foreign policy and domestic security. I will leave it up to the reader to decide where Gibson comes down on these issues, but I will say it made me wince to think this might be how our neighbors to the north (Gibson is a Canadian national) really see us.
William Gibson-he has envisioned our future, and now he looks at our present. I'm not sure he approves of where we are, but no novelist is doing a better job right now of helping us understand where we are and just maybe, where we are going.
The godfather of the cyberpunk movement in science fiction continues his transition into telling tales about the here and now in Spook Country, which both is and is not a spy novel, as the title might lead you to think. There is plenty of cloak-and-dagger in Spook Country, but as in Pattern Recognition, Gibson's other novel set in the early 21st century, the cloak-and-dagger bits are really just the frame of a plot Gibson needs to spin out his observations about society, politics, homeland security, the war in Iraq, humans and technology, and even what I took to be a crack about Scientology. For those more familiar with Gibson's earlier novels such as Neuromancer or Mona Lisa Overdrive, do not despair-the sharp understanding of where we are going with our technology is here as well. Among other things, Gibson envisions a use of the Ipod that I'm fairly certain Steve Jobs never intends to happen. The usual cast of those living in the shadows of society and used by the powers-that-be is here as well. Gibson writes with empathy for those living in the cracks of the walls of the larger society around them.
Effortlessly written and dryly hilarious, Spook Country is also a dispassionate dissection of the policies of the Bush administration in matters of foreign policy and domestic security. I will leave it up to the reader to decide where Gibson comes down on these issues, but I will say it made me wince to think this might be how our neighbors to the north (Gibson is a Canadian national) really see us.
William Gibson-he has envisioned our future, and now he looks at our present. I'm not sure he approves of where we are, but no novelist is doing a better job right now of helping us understand where we are and just maybe, where we are going.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Jeff Kinard's New Book!
GTCC's very own Jeff Kinard has just published a new book! As a part of ABC-CLIO's "Weapons of Warfare" series, this book focuses on the history of artillery "from ancient dart firers and catapults...to the latest rapid-fire, rocket-propelled, laser-guided models." It can be found at the Jamestown Library on the new book display!From ABC-CLIO's website:
Title Features
- Includes case studies of the wars of Louis XIV, the Napoleonic wars, the American Civil War, and the Franco-Prussian War illustrating the impact of specific technical and strategic innovations in artillery
- Dozens of photographs and illustrations show various types of artillery, artillery mechanisms, and projectiles
- The only volume to offer an accessible, concise history of artillery weapons combining descriptions of all major technical and strategic innovations with coverage of their impact on and off the battlefield
- Highlights the contributions of artillery innovators throughout history, including Jean Baptiste de Gribeauval, William Congreve, the Krupp family, and John Dahlgren
- Illustrates the impact of artillery on the battlefield from the ancient world to the present and covers the latest trends in artillery including laser guidance systems and rocket-propelled weapons
**********************************************************************************
Review from Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA):
ARTILLERY: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF ITS IMPACT provides a wide-ranging survey of artillery's development and powers over the centuries, covering both its technical development and its use by leaders and nations over time. Military collections, especially those strong in overviews of military encounters with focus on equipment and its evolution, will find ARTILLERY a fine survey that blends historical background with a narrowed focus on battle equipment development.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Welcome back. It is sizzling outside and things are heating up in the classroom as well, now that we are back at the start of a new semester.
The start of the semester is always a good time for reminders of things that may have slipped the mind over the summer, and of course we have new staff and faculty on board who may not know about some of the services offered by the library. With that in mind...
You Can Suggest Items for Purchase for the Library Collection!
The easiest way to do this is use our online form set up for this purpose. Just go to
http://www.gtcc.edu/library/requests/MaterialsRequestIndex.htm
and click on the link for Make a Request.
The form is self-explanatory but there are a couple of things to remember:
1. The more information you can provide, the easier it is for us to fulfill your request.
2. At a minimum, we need to know the title, the author, and the format (book, DVD, magazine).Library staff will also be happy to take this information directly from you.
It Is Time to Renew Your Home Access to the Library Databases!
We are happy to provide this service, but it does require that users make a new request as the login and passwords are changed every few months. Again, this is easily done online.Go to
http://www.gtcc.edu/library/RemoteAccessPoliciesProcedures.html
From there you will have 2 options:
1. Click on the If You Use BlackBoard tab, and follow the instructions from there.
2. Click on the If You Do Not Use BlackBoard tab and follow the instructions from there.
Please note that if you do not use BlackBoard we have to verify that you are a GTCC student, faculty member, or staff member. This may mean a waiting period of usually not over 1 working day while we "check your credentials".
Staff and faculty, you can help us here. Please remind students that they have to renew their access even if they have previously had access.
You Can Place Material on Electronic Reserves for Use by Your Students!
That's right. Not only can you place hard copy/physical items on reserve, but you can even utilize cyberspace for those things you want the students to use.
Go to http://www.gtcc.edu/library/ereserve/index.htm
and carefully review the Electronic Reserves FAQ. Everything you need to know to utilize this service is there one place.
Again, welcome back.
Please don't hesitate to ask questions about these or other library services. A directory of library staff, including contact information, can be found at
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Hollywood Librarian . . .
. . . A Look At Librarians Through Film
http://hollywoodlibrarian.com/about.html
http://hollywoodlibrarian.com/about.html
Friday, July 27, 2007
"Norma Rae" donates her papers to Alamance Community College
North Carolina Community College System
For Immediate Release
“Norma Rae” donates her papers to Alamance Community College
Alamance alum Leslie Thompson helps catalog donation
By Peggy Beach, System Office, Public Affairs
Crystal Lee Sutton, the real-life inspiration behind Sally Field’s character in the film Norma Rae, has donated her unionization papers and memorabilia to Alamance Community College. Sutton was fired from J.P. Stevens in 1974 for trying to unionize the plant in Roanoke Rapids, and her story was told in the 1979 Oscar-winning film.
At a June reception in her honor, Sutton, who now lives in Alamance County, said she made the donation because of the college’s efforts in retraining laid-off textile workers. "Thank God for Alamance Community College, where even the working poor can come, get financial assistance, and get a new start in life," she said. Sutton took nursing courses at Alamance in 1988. Her daughter-in-law, Cathy Jordan, is a secretary in the college’s literacy department.
Leslie Thompson, an Alamance graduate and rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will catalog the new collection. She attended the reception along with Sherri Singer, head of the social and behavioral sciences department at Alamance, Dr. Sam Powell, college trustee and Dr. Martin Nadelman, college president.
Powell officially accepted the Crystal Lee Sutton collection on behalf of
the college. "This collection will inspire current and future students,
many who themselves have had direct or indirect connections to the
textile industry," he said.
Thompson presented Sutton with a framed, handwritten letter from
women's activist Gloria Steinem, with whom Sutton became friends in
the 1980s during the latter's speaking engagements.
"We admire her courage, we admire her convictions, and we admire her spirit," said Nadelman. "She is a champion not only of the working class but also of all who inspire to improve the lives of others."
In the early 1970s, Sutton was 33 and working at the J.P. Stevens plant where she was making $2.65 an hour folding towels. The poor working conditions she and her fellow employees suffered compelled her to join forces with Eli Zivkovich, a union organizer, and attempt to unionize the J.P. Stevens employees.
"Management and others treated me as if I had leprosy," said Sutton. She received threats and was finally fired from her job. But before she left, she took one final stand, filmed verbatim in Norma Rae. "I took a piece of cardboard and wrote the word UNION on it in big letters, got up on my work table, and slowly turned it around. The workers started cutting their machines off and giving me the victory sign. All of a sudden the plant was very quiet..."
Sutton was physically removed from the plant by police, but the result of her actions was monumental. The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) won the right to represent the workers at the plant and Sutton became an organizer for the union. In 1977, Sutton was awarded back wages and her job was reinstated by court order, although she chose to return to work for just two days. She subsequently became a speaker on behalf of the ACTWU and was profiled in interviews on Good Morning America, in The New York Times Magazine, and countless other national and international publications during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Crystal Lee Sutton Awards, established in her name and presented by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, recognizes individuals and organizations whose efforts have contributed to presenting positive images of working people to the American public.
Thompson, who is working closely with Sutton while cataloguing the collection, said that she took a lot of history courses with Singer while studying at Alamance.
“When the collection came in, she (Singer) called me and asked me to look at it,” said Thompson. “I was very excited. It fell in with what I studied about the workers rights movement.”
Thompson plans to interview Sutton for an oral history to include in the collection. Sutton said that she began collecting material since 1973, when she began her crusade for unionization. “She documented everything and I do mean everything,” said Thompson. Included in the collection are letters, videos, awards, certificates, newspaper articles, and calendars. “There are photos of her with Gloria Steinem and also a copy of the documentary she did with Ms. Steinem and PBS in 1974,” said Thompson. “She was very thorough.”
Thompson said that when the catalog is complete, it will likely be available not only at the library at Alamance Community College but also on NC ECHO. NC ECHO, Exploring Cultural Heritage Online, is the state’s Internet doorway to the special collections of North Carolina’s libraries, archives, museums, historic sites and other cultural institutions.
Thompson received a grant from the university to catalog the collection and is planning to write her honors thesis on the project. She is planning to go to graduate school at UNC-CH and eventually hopes to teach at a university or a community college. “Community college is a great place to get a start on your education,” she said. “I am 33 and I have four kids so Alamance Community College was the best way for me to begin my education.”
Contact: Peggy Beach, North Carolina Community College System, Public Affairs, 919-807-6964, beachm@nccommunitycolleges.edu
For Immediate Release
“Norma Rae” donates her papers to Alamance Community College
Alamance alum Leslie Thompson helps catalog donation
By Peggy Beach, System Office, Public Affairs
Crystal Lee Sutton, the real-life inspiration behind Sally Field’s character in the film Norma Rae, has donated her unionization papers and memorabilia to Alamance Community College. Sutton was fired from J.P. Stevens in 1974 for trying to unionize the plant in Roanoke Rapids, and her story was told in the 1979 Oscar-winning film.
At a June reception in her honor, Sutton, who now lives in Alamance County, said she made the donation because of the college’s efforts in retraining laid-off textile workers. "Thank God for Alamance Community College, where even the working poor can come, get financial assistance, and get a new start in life," she said. Sutton took nursing courses at Alamance in 1988. Her daughter-in-law, Cathy Jordan, is a secretary in the college’s literacy department.
Leslie Thompson, an Alamance graduate and rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will catalog the new collection. She attended the reception along with Sherri Singer, head of the social and behavioral sciences department at Alamance, Dr. Sam Powell, college trustee and Dr. Martin Nadelman, college president.
Powell officially accepted the Crystal Lee Sutton collection on behalf of
the college. "This collection will inspire current and future students,
many who themselves have had direct or indirect connections to the
textile industry," he said.
Thompson presented Sutton with a framed, handwritten letter from
women's activist Gloria Steinem, with whom Sutton became friends in
the 1980s during the latter's speaking engagements.
"We admire her courage, we admire her convictions, and we admire her spirit," said Nadelman. "She is a champion not only of the working class but also of all who inspire to improve the lives of others."
In the early 1970s, Sutton was 33 and working at the J.P. Stevens plant where she was making $2.65 an hour folding towels. The poor working conditions she and her fellow employees suffered compelled her to join forces with Eli Zivkovich, a union organizer, and attempt to unionize the J.P. Stevens employees.
"Management and others treated me as if I had leprosy," said Sutton. She received threats and was finally fired from her job. But before she left, she took one final stand, filmed verbatim in Norma Rae. "I took a piece of cardboard and wrote the word UNION on it in big letters, got up on my work table, and slowly turned it around. The workers started cutting their machines off and giving me the victory sign. All of a sudden the plant was very quiet..."
Sutton was physically removed from the plant by police, but the result of her actions was monumental. The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) won the right to represent the workers at the plant and Sutton became an organizer for the union. In 1977, Sutton was awarded back wages and her job was reinstated by court order, although she chose to return to work for just two days. She subsequently became a speaker on behalf of the ACTWU and was profiled in interviews on Good Morning America, in The New York Times Magazine, and countless other national and international publications during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Crystal Lee Sutton Awards, established in her name and presented by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, recognizes individuals and organizations whose efforts have contributed to presenting positive images of working people to the American public.
Thompson, who is working closely with Sutton while cataloguing the collection, said that she took a lot of history courses with Singer while studying at Alamance.
“When the collection came in, she (Singer) called me and asked me to look at it,” said Thompson. “I was very excited. It fell in with what I studied about the workers rights movement.”
Thompson plans to interview Sutton for an oral history to include in the collection. Sutton said that she began collecting material since 1973, when she began her crusade for unionization. “She documented everything and I do mean everything,” said Thompson. Included in the collection are letters, videos, awards, certificates, newspaper articles, and calendars. “There are photos of her with Gloria Steinem and also a copy of the documentary she did with Ms. Steinem and PBS in 1974,” said Thompson. “She was very thorough.”
Thompson said that when the catalog is complete, it will likely be available not only at the library at Alamance Community College but also on NC ECHO. NC ECHO, Exploring Cultural Heritage Online, is the state’s Internet doorway to the special collections of North Carolina’s libraries, archives, museums, historic sites and other cultural institutions.
Thompson received a grant from the university to catalog the collection and is planning to write her honors thesis on the project. She is planning to go to graduate school at UNC-CH and eventually hopes to teach at a university or a community college. “Community college is a great place to get a start on your education,” she said. “I am 33 and I have four kids so Alamance Community College was the best way for me to begin my education.”
Contact: Peggy Beach, North Carolina Community College System, Public Affairs, 919-807-6964, beachm@nccommunitycolleges.edu
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