MCC Library Newsletter

The library has acquired three new electronic resources beginning January 2008.

1. Oxford English Dictionary Online: The OED is recognized as the authority on the evolution of the English language. The contents of the OED provides the meaning, history, and pronunciation of more than half a million words in past and current use. The online version provides access to the 2nd edition of the OED plus contents of the additions published between 1993 and 1997 and quarterly revisions. For more information about the benefits of the online OED, visit the publisher’s FAQs. You will find links to this database in the following locations on the library web site: 1) Where Do I Start? Encyclopedias & Reference, 2) A-Z List of Article & Research Databases, and 3) Databases by Type: Encyclopedias & Reference.

2 . Cambridge Collections Online, including The Cambridge Companions to Literature and Classics and The Cambridge Companions to Philosophy, Religion and Culture. You will find links to this database in the following locations: 1) A-Z List of Article & Research Databases, 2) Databases by Subject: Literature & Humanities, Literary Biography and Religion and Philosophy and 3) Databases by Type: Electronic Books.

Descriptions from the publisher’s site: “The Cambridge Companions to Literature and Classics collection offers over 1500 comprehensive and accessible essays on major authors, periods and genres, written by experts and designed for student readers. For
the author Companions each writer is placed in literary and historical context; their major works are analysed, either in separate chapters or grouped according to theme, and their influence on later writers assessed. The generic and topical Companions cover periods of English literature such as Old English or the Victorian Novel, and literary
genres such as Modernism or Greek Tragedy, giving the student vital contextual information about political, social, religious and artistic relationships. The Companions to Classical Civilisation examine key periods and aspects of the civilisations of ancient Greece and Rome.”

“The Cambridge Companions series offers specially-commissioned collections of essays which are intended to serve as reference works for an inter-disciplinary audience of students and non-specialists. Addressing topics and figures ranging from Plato through Kant to Habermas, and philosophical movements such as the Scottish Enlightenment and German Idealism, this online collection contains over 1000 downloadable essays taken from the Cambridge Companions to Philosophy, Religion and Culture (more than 100 volumes).”

3. Acceda Noticias (Newsbank): Provides online access to the complete full-text of more than 50 Spanish-language newspapers, newswires, magazines, and transcripts from major US cities and Spanish-speaking countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Spain. All content was written originally in Spanish, rather than translated from other languages. You will find links to this database in the following locations: 1) A-Z List of Article & Research Databases, 2) Databases by Subject: Languages, and 3) Resources by Subject: Spanish Language Resources.

If you are attempting to search one of the MCC Library’s Gale databases (Gale Virtual Reference Library, Literature Resource Center, Health and Wellness Resource Center, Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Scribner and Twayne’s) when using Internet Explorer version 7, you may notice that the individual database screen does not load.

Until this problem can be resolved, you will need to hit Refresh (F5) on your IE7 browser once after trying to get into the database.  You may also choose to use an alternate browser, such as Mozilla, Opera, or Netscape.

Available freely during the month of January from two library databases –

NetLibrary:The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (And Their Employees) by Patrick M. Lencioni.

PsychiatryOnline: Core Competencies for Psychiatric Education: Defining, Teaching, and Assessing Resident Competence by Linda Boerger Andrews, M.D., and John William Burruss, M.D.

At the beginning of January, enhancements were made to the interface of WilsonWeb databases in a release called CX Edition.

Our WilsonWeb databases include:
Biography Reference Bank
Business Full Text
Education Full Text
Essay & General Literature Index
General Science Full Text
Humanities Full Text
OmniFile Full Text Mega
Readers’ Guide Full Text
Social Sciences Full Text

View WilsonWeb CX Edition sample screens at www.hwwilson.com/Documentation/WilsonWeb/frameless.htm or login to one of the databases listed at: http://www.mclennan.edu/library/dbases/dbcoll.html#ww under WilsonWeb.

Noteworthy features

• A “Frameless” Interface–for faster loading, and better integration with the frames of your institution’s website.
• Enhanced Layout & Graphics: Clearer screens and more accessible tools, for quicker, more intuitive searching.
• Navigational Improvements: New Full Text, Page Image, and Peer Reviewed tabs in results let you isolate those records at a click. In Full Display mode, you can now also choose between scrolling through results or clicking from record to record–navigating the way you find most comfortable.
• Simplified Print, Email & Save functions: New buttons–Save This, Email This, and Print This–capture not just the citation, but also any available full text, saving a step. You can also use the Print Email Save button in the banner for simplified and complete functionality as well.
• Simplified Search History screen allows you to more handily review, update, combine and organize saved searches, and receive new information on any search in email alerts.