Colors of the 4th Quarter

Colors of the Fourth Quarter

Red is glorious,
Green is gorgeous,
Brown is a color of woods,
Blue is color of moods.

Yellow stands for sunshine’s.
Purple came from royal kinds.
Desired colors are for a special day.
Dark green dominates this holiday.

White is pure, clean, and crisp.
Wind is transparent and brisk.
What color is rain? The answer burdens -
Rainwater is clear, colorless, and depends.

Light rain is happy and pink
With a little wink.
Heavy down pouring rain is monotonous
And very tedious.

Do not wish any participation
For nature angry precipitation!
Mondays are black and white.
Tuesdays and Thursdays do not bite.

Wednesdays love half-day followers.
Casual Fridays care the rainbow of colors.
The box of crayons is empty and vacant.
Instead, the words made this weekend.

The colors were used to draw.
The artistic words are not raw.
So, do not forget
The December twenty-eighth of 2008.

2008-2009 © Ida Tomshinsky
December 28, 2008-2009

Continuing Education Programs

Even in a recession, continuing education programs make sense. Colleges and universities ramp up programs for student training. Educational programs reflecting on a changing market. As the economy slows down, vocational training picks up. People are looking for alternative ways to make a living.

Be a Motivator

"The Leadership Pill: The Missing Ingredient in Motivating People Today" by Ken Blanchard and Marc Muchnick is a new book that shows business managers at any level how to apply the right techniques for getting both results and the commitment of people to perform under the pressure.
"The Leadership Pill" provides the answer in an entertaining fashion in competition between two leaders with totally different management styles, and in the end, the story reveals the ingredients of truly effective leadership.

The books below are also providing serious business tools for serious business professionals:

• "Powerful Proposals" by David G. Pugh and Bacon, Terry R.
• "Heavy Hitter Selling" by Steve W. Martin
• "The First-Time Manager" by Loren B. Belker and Gary S. Topchik

Get the winning edge moving into 2010 business year. After all, we are moving into the second decade of the 21st century!

Lasting Memories

Holidays come and go. What last is the memories. Preparation is always the key element to make my holidays special. In the end of the day, the most important thing is that everyone is able to come together and share special time with one another. Time spent together lasts season to season, unlike the most expensive toy you can find that could break in a few months.

New Manners for New Times

I would like to write about etiquette. Even, "the Queen of Etiquette," Letitia Baldrige, admits that new times request new manners. There are manners in the workplace, with clients and fellow employees and there are business ethics protocol in customer services.
There are traditional commonsense polite business behavior and it is good to know and follow them.
A good team member works on wining respect and loyalty, and this does not happened overnight. This required efforts, and it pays off and a great value to you and the team.
Specially, when you are nineteen, you cannot apply at work the bully rules that you picked up at your high school. Be nice to people on the top and on the bottom job scale in your working environment! Never criticize your boss or "rat" on anyone (unless that person is a drug dealer or steals.) Never profile or talk behind the back. After all, the boss will evaluate your working performance and will give you recommendations for your future professional career.
Keep promises and add value to your personality. Use humor. (If you do not have one, work on one.)

Creative Branch

At the end of 2009, the use of craft increased the context of creativity. The growing number of contemporary artists are using hand craft by incorporated in their work methods and materials traditionally associated by craft. It is both unique and economical. The Creative Branch was born in 1970s and made the emphasis on personal experiences rather than on a collective social message.

Narrative Skills

To tell a story you need good narrative skills. To describe things, happenings, and events are major power points of telling a good story. The best practice is to tell and retell your stories. This is a common way to improve personal literacy skills.
Information literacy overall has many components, and, as usual, brushing up on the narrative skills is one of them.
Narrative skills are important in preparing for descriptive detail writing. To tell a good story is a key element for a successful book from different points of view from reading choices to publishing your own stories.

1st of November and the 100st Post

Here is my first 100 post anniversary. Time fly fast!
I still have the enthusiasm as the Greeks would say "en Theo." I still keep posting opinions, facts, and information. I am keeping on reading and writing and, the exiting of the topic-of-the-moment makes me to exercise the art of rhyming. The essential part to stay positive and focused in delivering the messages. And here, let me start again!

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month happens every November, from 1st to 30!
It is a fun, seat-of-your-pants novel writing event where the challenge is to write an entire novel in just 30 days. That means participants begin writing November 1 and must finish by midnight, November 30. The word-count goal for our adult program is 50,000 words.
It should be very rewording! Let's try! Writing friends, come on on board!

H-All-o-Ween: the Historical Aspect

Halloween is observed on October 31 in two countries - United States and United Kingdom.
The earlier version of Halloween known as Samhain, an ancient Celtic harvest festival. About 3,000 years ago, the Celts believed in many gods and worshiped nature. To win the favor of the spirits, people sacrificed crops and animals, and wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves.

Current Advancements

The nature of technology changes echoes in the need to effectively document and investigate through the research new discoveries and phenomena in both in science and in technology.
The research standards are building upon findings in the past to prepare for the findings in the future. The scholarly community providing society with knowledge that need to understand the present from different aspects of society, industry, business trends.

Reference Resources in print or in digital formats provide the aim to support the growing interest in research by students, "academicians," professionals and librarians with the most up-to-date knowledge - facts, statistics, current information.

Reference Resources titles enhancing the personal and institutional library collections with quality of research!

Why Statistics?

Statistics information is a powerful tools for finding patterns in data and inferring important connections between events in the real world. What is the current unemployment rate-nationally, by state, in Miami Dade County?
By the way, it is 9.7% nationally, 10.8% in southeast Florida, and 11.1% in Miami Dade County as on September 2009.
First step, learning about the different kinds of statistics. Then comes, understanding of the steps in statistical reasoning. And finally, it is important to learn several uses for statistical reasoning.
Statistics require groundwork
1. Gathering data (numerical information)
2. Organize the data (numerical or pictorial)
3. Analyze the data

About "Statistics"

There are two types of descriptive statistics: numerical and pictorial.

The mean of pictorial statistics is taking numerical data and presenting it in pictures or graphs.
Displaying data in simple graphical formats such as bar charts, pie charts, dot plots, and ogives helps to understand the research materials visually.

Breast Cancer Month

It is a time when we are aware of the changing landscape, especially in the rich colors of the outdoors.
Red, crimson, and yellow are the colors of fall, but in October, there is a particular attention to to pink. October is the month recognized nationally to increase breast cancer awareness. Pink is the color that demonstrates awareness and support for breast cancer patients. The landscapes of facilities all over the United States will be turning pink for the month of October.
What we can do to support the awareness?
I saved the lids from yogurts and send them to the national program "Lids for Lives." Each lid converts into money for research.
Breast cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among American women. It is the second-most common cause of cancer-related death in women. Although women are primarily diagnosed with breast cancer, men can be as well.
I will read about women breast cancer facts and learn about it more information. Annuals mammograms are an instrument to prevent it and recognize it in early stage.

First Voyages of Columbus

When Columbus sighted the New World's shores, he thought he found Japan. Instead, Caribbean Islands Indians welcomed him.
The island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands - believed by many scholars to be the island Columbus first visit on his second voyage to the New World on November 14, 1493.
Seamen and natives were looking for each other for a sign of friendship or hospitality.

October Month Activities

There are just few:
In October, we are celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month , Columbus Day with stories and history, and Tango dance demonstrations and Latin percussion music that based on movers and shakers.

Get ready for a great week at Metrozoo.
Your family will have memories to last a lifetime during Elephant Awareness Week at Miami Metrozoo Oct. 10 - 16.

And, of course, finishing the month, with celebration of Halloween in costumes, with candies, and skeletons.

Yesterday, on October the 2nd, President Obama names October 2009 National Information Literacy Awareness Month. The American Library Association (ALA) joins the President Obama in highlighting the importance of ICT skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age.

On Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time. She wrote eighty novels and short story collections, plus nineteen plays for the fifty years of her writing career. In addition, she wrote six romantic novels under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott.

Two of her characters she created at of her imagination, the ingenious Belgian Hercule Poirot and the irrepressible and relentless Miss Jane Marple, became world-famous detectives.

Agatha Christie achieved Britain's highest honor when she was made a Dame of British Empire.

With over two billion copies of her books in print, her genius for detective fiction is unparalleled. She is truly the one and only Queen of Crime story-teller.

Freedom to Read

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress endorsed a new list of bibliography of books that were challenged, restricted, removed, or banned in 2008 and 2009 as reported in the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom from May 2008-May 2009.

Banned Books Week 2009 is the twenty-eighth annual celebration of the freedom to read.
Our First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Sexual aspect, profanity, and racism remain the major categories of objections and schools and school libraries have a desire to protect children and young adults from "bad" reading materials.
According to Robert P. Doyle, approximately 85 % of the challenges to library materials received no media attention and remain unreported.

Due to the commitment of parents, students, librarians, teachers, and other concerned citizens, more and more challenges are unsuccessful, and the reading material remains available. This is the reason we are celebrating the right of freedom to read.

There are many countries in the world, that have challenges in national literacy, freedom to read, and freedom to know. Some authors are living in exile and cannot enter the homeland, other are repressed and put in jail by their governments.

Banned Books Week

The week of September 26, designated to celebrate "the freedom to read." Since 1982, American Library Association conducts the Banned Books Week to remain us our intellectual freedom granted by United States Constitution.

Librarians' Wardrobe

Every career has an image. Image defines a person. Clothing is the person's signature. To be dressed appropriately and consistently helps to provide the positive image that we, librarians, carry on in our professional community.
Personal appearance is just as important as clothing. Grooming, personal hygiene, hairstyle, cosmetics, and fragrances, along with clothing, are the non-verbal messages and impressions we convey to other people at work, patrons and co-workers.
Librarians, with the capital "L," are our intelligentsia, with Master's degree in education. Why then, Librarians, in general, dress down?

Why Audiobooks?

Research has shown that books in the audio format are an useful tool to motivate poor readers. The audio books are also indispensable in helping English Language learners. The audio books are the perfect learning and teaching instrument to help improve reading skills and expand reading interests. Specifically, they are effective in growing vocabulary, comprehension, and reading fluency.
Despite our glittering new technologies-our cell phones, e-books, and iMacs, time travel is still possible only through literature. An inspired narrator can carry a listener back in time...

Information Cascade

This is interesting. In 2008, Time magazine asked,"How many blogs does the world need?" claiming that there were already too many out on the super highway of information. The blogosphere has grown at a tremendous rate, with tens of millions of active blogs generating hundreds of millions of postings per year (http://spinn3r.com/.)

This activity leads to a huge amount of information. The question is, if you have ten minutes a day to spend on the blogosphere, which blogs should you read to keep track of the big stories?
I recommend the LRC Digital Newsletter for librarians, students, and faculty members. Please join and be my guests!

A good blog captures good stories and creates a large information cascade. An information cascade is a spread throughout the blogosphere at a tremendous rate, with tens of millions of active blogs generated hundreds of millions of postings per year.

Bibliography:

1. Kinsley,m. "How Many Blogs Does the World Need?"- Time Magazine, Nov. 2008; www.timecom/time/magazine/article/0,9171,860888.00.html

Technology Policy

Every organization that provides access to computers and Internet usage at the work place has a Technology Policy for employees.
The social networking sites include both computer and Internet usage. This is the continuation of the argument to dismiss any Facebook or Twitter within profession until the Technology Policy is updated and includes the changes regarding the tsunami of social networking.

Protection from external treats are as important as internal treats. Technology Policy for social networking is a necessity.

Literacy Day

"Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now close to four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for all – children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal and an ever moving target. A combination of ambitious goals, insufficient and parallel efforts, inadequate resources and strategies, and continued underestimation of the magnitude and complexity of the task accounts for this unmet goal. Lessons learnt over recent decades show that meeting the goal of universal literacy calls not only for more effective efforts but also for renewed political will and for doing things differently at all levels - locally, nationally and internationally," - says in the UNESCO web site.

International Literacy Day will be observed on September 8.

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world.

Statistical Facts on Twitter

Steven Johnson reports that Twitter had 17.1 million visitors internationally in April, but with the U.S. population at more than 300 million, the percentage of users that are American is pretty small.

According to Nielsen, 60% of users drop out after a month. "Once just a fad?"

I am raising the question, is the coverage of Twitter in the media out of the proportion?

We are waiting for the business etiquette. If the officials in the business want professionals to use it, there should be policies and regulations, the legal aspect and responsibilities, and more to come. Till then, please do not push the buttons too far now, and have regrets later.

140 Characters

I love the new social networking sites-Facebook.com, Mysapce.com, Change.com, and Linkedin.com.
Twitter is very popular too, and is one of the fastest growing social networking sites.
Twitter has space to write a message that includes 140 characters.

As a Librarian of the 21st century, I want to be where the modern technology is, at the Library 2.0 level.

On another hand, I am worry about E-Generation's information literacy. The 140 characters' writing space reduces the exercise in writing to a concise form filled with symbols and abbreviations. The smallest school paper includes a minimum of 100 to 500 words. The young adults have serious problems with grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary development. The short remarks such as "I am laughing" or "I am clapping" have a regression effect. To be anthropologically correct, it will shrink the brain from the size of a dinosaur to the size of the lizard.

No arguments, it is a good formula or an instrumental tool for building a community of friends and supporters of any online community or organization of people who share the same interests and activities.

After all, I made the point by using almost 140 characters.

Great Faces in the Great Places

From breakthrough digital collections usage to digital photo montage that opens vast new pathways in new visual experience and to thoughtful new coverage of Learning Resource Center's (LRC) collaboration in study and learning.

Our new imprints are a logical continuation of the "Read" Posters that were successfully introduced last year to our learning community of teachers and students - the library users.

Today, we are tapping the power of digital publishing tools and technology-enabled project to make a positive and substantial impact on reading, writing, and library usage that translates into information literacy.

On behalf of the LRC staff, I would like to thank Mr. Victores for the color printing and the high hopes that students will enjoy seeing the "great faces in the great places."

Finally, in the end, it was done with an expectation that it will help to advertise and promote the library resources usage and information literacy.
"We are the future, we are the reading nation."

From the Librarian Desk ...

Note taking sharps the memory.
Please, use the library,
Read and write,
Get help and overcome the dislike.
Hard work and positive attitude
Make good use, means, and valued
In study and learning,
Within cozy books surrounding
Away from modern gadgets and megawatts.
Focus your thoughts
Toward success in school.
Simply, stay cool!
Instead of doodling and daydreaming,
Listen, ask, and participate in brainstorming -
Motivation in learning is a reward.
Words, words, words
With the librarian's supports.
Grammar, spelling, and punctuation
The key elements to progress and function.
Read and write,
And stay bright!
Sharp you "memor-E"
At your "librar-E!"

2009 Ida Tomshnsky (IT)

Library's Place in the Study and Learning Process

1. Preparing to Study

• Making good and efficient use of study time should be a primary objective of every student. With an organized approach, students will be able to improve efficiency and comprehension in the studies and better realize the satisfaction of success in school

2. Note-Taking, Memory, and Examinations

• Taking notes makes learning process more active. Note-taking demands that you pay attention and use your memory. Test yourself in the preparation process. Learn to edit your own work. The objective examination tests your ability to remember details, dates, and specific dates.

3. Reading, Writing, and Using the Library

• Reading skills contributes to success in school, in personal life, and in future career. Reading helps to improve the vocabulary. Reading helps to develop better writing skills - the ability to organize facts, thoughts, and opinions, and to express them clearly and grammatically.
• The academic library is a gold mine of information. To make the best of it, you have to learn to use the library efficiently. In the library, you can unlock a lifetime of learning and pleasure and use the knowledge that many people have worked to compile and organize.

Summary

• During the lifetime, people continue the professional development and the study and learning process. Improving the study skills not only give you a head start on the many challenges, as well as the satisfaction of a job well done.
• There is not any better place as to study in the library surrounded by printed resources on campus and using the electronic resources in digital format.
• Make it a point to take yourself on a tour of the library so that you know where to find what you need.

Gaming in the Library

Gaming is service that in various forms presents an additional support to strengthens digital, information and communication technology, media, programming and visual literacy.
Reading and understanding information is central, as well as evaluating and developing critical thinking is a necessity in the multiply formats of literacy.
draft

Annual Report is Due in July

The fiscal year past very fast. The July's Annual Report is almost ready. There are variety of scheduled events, activities, and programs that are converted to statistical information with moderate commentaries and wordy reports. The collected LRC data on a monthly base is the strong preparation tool. However, this year, there are gaps between November of 2008 to February of 2009, developed due to college remodeling. This period was bold and weak. The service was conceptual and library staff lived up on a survival mode, step-by-step.
Hot tropical summer is fun time for families. July is most busy month of the year: LRC inventory, Bookstore inventory, statistics and reports. We are learning from the past and looking into the future to make significant and exceptional contributions to our college community.
Our students got a cozy LRC with twenty-one computers and fifty-five thousands digital resources in new Virtual Library to study and learn. Our faculty members are helping more then ever before. We have the green light support from staff and administration. All above adds up to finish the 2008-2009 school year in a good standing.

During the Interview: Part 2

There are questions to expect to be asked during an interview. Students may study them in advance and have an answer prepared.

• can you tell me about yourself?
• so, what do you think about our company?
• who else have you interviewed with?
• what do you think this job involves?
• what do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
• what are your major strengths and weaknesses?
• you have been out of work for a long time, haven't you?
• you have quit quite a few jobs-why?
• what was it about your last job that bugged you most? least? why?
• what do you like to do in your spare time?
• what would you say is your most important accomplishment? failure? disappointment? why?
• why do you want to change careers?
• what is the most difficult challenge you faced in your life and how did you handle it?
• if hired, how long would it take you to get on your feet and become productive?
• ever have a disagreement with a Supervisor? why?
• how did you handle it?
• have you ever been fired? why?
• give me one good reason why i should hire you?
• what are going to do for this department that no other job applicant could do?
• have forgotten anything?

"What is the seashore like?"

"What is the seashore like?" - a little boy asks, so his mother brings to life for him the simple beauty of the beach: the whiteness of the sea gull's feather; the peppermint feel of cold water on his toe; the slow change of light over the sand and sea as the sun sets, and the swish-swashing of the waves lulling the little boy to sleep.
...from the Charlotte Zolotow's affectionate text and Wendell Minor's stunning paintings to evoke the rhythm of the perfect day at the seashore.

"The Seashore Book" is a little reminder that summer time is on.
And even when you do not have time to go to the beach, you always can close the eyes, and imagine the perfect day on the beach.

Interview Tips

Let's talk about making a good impression. First impressions are very important! They help managers to decide whether they like you or not. Here are a few tips to help you make a good impression.
A. Your Appearance
B. Your Attitude
C. Your Manners
D. Your Body Language
What separates the winners from the losers in the job interview? There are many factors. These are some of the most common:
1. Dress the part
2. Give complete answers
3. Sell yourself
4. Show enthusiasm
5. Ask for the job
6. Show that you are a team player
7. Show up on time
8. Watch out for trick questions
9. Show what you can do for the employer
10. At the interview: shake hands with a firm grip, maintain eye contact, be positive about previous employers and end the interview by thanking the interviewer for their time.
Next time, we will talk about questions to expect and questions to ask at the class of 101 Interviews Tips to make a good positive impression.

!Desde Ahora Que Sea Tu Belida!

Learning the Lingo from" Guide to Starbucks Beverages" -

"I will have a grande, quad, ristretto, nonfat, dry cappuccino, please!" -

What is a ristretto? How can a cappuchino be dry?

Grande: Starbucks second-largest beverage size, 16 fl oz.
Quad: Four shots of espresso in a drink
Ristretto: A short pull of espresso, capturing only the sweetest part
Dry: More foam, less milk
Cappuccino: A drink made with espresso and equal parts steamed milk and thick foam. It has a stronger espresso flavor than a latte.
And what does your drink say about you?
The old saying is "You are what you eat." But at Starbucks, we think what you drink says more about who you are. Triple, grande, decaf latte people aren't the same as tall, iced caramel macchiato drinkers.
There are four ways to customize your order: choose your order, choose your espresso, choose your milk, and choose other modifiers.
Then, you have the heart of your coffee drink-the espresso inside:
Regular,
Decaf,
Extra Shorts,
Half-Caf,
Ristretto.

Chess

Finally, we got the chess table-game! Are we ready for the Chess Club? Yes, we are! Guess, what is next? Gaming in the LRC. Bringing in the intellectual games in the technical school! Hmm, who will be the campus champion? And what about regional or district championship? Interesting that students get more excited with the traditional board game then with the Digital Chess Game on the computer. Probably because of the social interaction and entertaining threw communication. Well, I hope that gaming will drew more students and faculty to use the LRC.

"Keep my breath,

We are playing chess!"

(Ida Tomshinsky, 2009)

Healthier without Wheat

Dr. Stephen Wangen, the gluten-free doctor, in his book "Healthier without Wheat" provides a new understanding of wheat allergies, Celiac disease, and non-Celiac gluten intolerance.

"Miami: The Magic City" by Arva Moore Parks

Arva Moore Parks, Miami's good known historian and author, will presenting her new book at Books & Books at BHS (Bal Harbour Shops) on Thursday, May 21, 7 p.m.

Join the presentation of her book of our beloved city through photographs and discussions.

Can't make it? Call (305) 864-4241 to prepay and to reserve a signed copy for you. Signed books make great gifts!

"The Scarecrow" by Michael Connelly

The new book titles "The Scarecrow" by Michael Connelly will be released on May 26, 2009 in United States. He is an excellent story teller, and he knows the forensics science in criminal justice procedures. You simply cannot put his books down.

I want to thank our student, Edward Farah, for the great gesture, the gift of set of books written by Michael Connelly. In general, it is great that our students , faculty, and staff are in for the Michael Connelly's books for the LRC Summer Reading outreach program. It is a good start!

Editorial Reviews
"Connelly succeeds, again, at creating a first-rate crime novel--fast-paced and dizzying....Connelly, once again, has hit a home run." (Denver Post Robin Vidimos )
"This Bosch adventure is a great read that can't be put down. Harry's getting on in years but is still a great detective." (San Jose Mercury News John Orr )
"Michael Connelly is a hard-boiled pro. His novels are remarkable for their authentic detailing of police procedures." (USA Today Carol Memmott )
"If Bosch is our detective, Connelly is our laureate, proving again that popular fiction at its best....is also literature." (Los Angeles Times Donna Rifkind)

Product Description
Forced out of the Los Angeles Times amid the latest budget cuts, newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to go out with a bang, using his final days at the paper to write the definitive murder story of his career. He focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing to a brutal murder. But as he delves into the story, Jack realizes that Winslow's so-called confession is bogus. The kid might actually be innocent. Jack is soon running with his biggest story since The Poet made his career years ago. He is tracking a killer who operates completely below police radar--and with perfect knowledge of any move against him. Including Jack's.

Summer Reading Gains Momentum

For students starting college, June is the time to open the book their college has asked them to finish before classes start.

Nationwide, hundreds of colleges and universities, large and small, public and private, assign first-year students to read a book over the summer, hoping to create a sense of community and engage students intellectually.

The range of books colleges use is enormous, covering fiction and nonfiction: readable, cheap, short and engaging. Often, it is a national best seller with an aspect of some multicultural encounter.

For example, at the University of Florida were distributed 7,000 copies of Tracy Kidder's book "Mountains Beyond Mountains" The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World," a story about a single-minded doctor's fight against multidrug - resistant tuberculosis in Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia. The author will speak at campus and students gain their summer reading momentum.

At ITT Teh Miami, we are talking about Michael Connelly's books on criminal justice aspect. Michael Connelly is a Floridian, and he is President of the mystery fiction literature association.
It will be great to invite Mr. Connelly to speak on campus to provide our first-year class with a common intellectual base, and promote certain values about leadership, ethics and service

Lewis and Clarck Expedition

Today, our nation celebrates the anniversary of the Lewis and Clarck Expedition. The expedition began on May 14, 1804.
For more information please visit our Virtual Library at http://library.itt-tech.edu
To log in use the school ID and your date of birth, all eight digits (mmddyyyy).

Let me know, if you have any questions.

Job Search Webliography

We are in May and observing the Career Services Month for students.
There are Classified pages in the Sunday's Miami Herald newspaper that are waiting to be read to find local jobs. There are several websites to check for career opportunities -

* www.craiglist.com

* www.odesk.com

* www.sologig.com

* www.elance.com

Career Strategy "Boot Camp"

At Week 7, the doorbell at the LRC is ringing and ringing. Students are asking for the gallery of real resumes, cover letters, "thank you" letters, Internet resumes and elements of resume style to present themselves throughout the best resumes and to obtain the winning image. Who's hiring who? Am I a good enough job hunter? I used the Reference USA database, but cannot find it again in the new Virtual Library layout, please help me!

The graduate students are very serious about the career portfolio and power networking. In a couple weeks they will become experts on how to get interviews from classified ads.

The most popular book of the week is the "ACE the IT Resume: The Resumes and Cover Letter to Get You Hired" by Paula Moreira.

Next quarter we will do a similar display. Why not? It is working. Employment is a "number one" subject among our students, citizens, and the press.

Libraries Work Because We Do!

New Virtual Library is available to students, faculty, and staff! The new interface design is big improvement - the operating structure, groupings, features in color, literature and research information by schools in one bundle, emphasis on the most popular reference resources, color illustrations with visual affect, and, even, monthly LRC happenings.

I love our Virtual Library! It is a modern jewel in contemporary librarianship. It is on the road with green light to reduce both cost and environmental damage. Part of the education is learning the skills throughout browsing, acknowledging research, finding and evaluating the right information. The user-friendly digital subject-oriented library resources carefully selected by programs offered by our educational institution together with E-Reference services maintain a support system for primary education.

The Virtual Library is open 24/7 and available from any place and at any time. I am looking forward to encourage our student-faculty body to use it. After all, there are multitask usage effects from education to green environment - getting high honors in academic achievements and benefiting of not creating carbon emission.

Go ahead and successfully join the research team!

In Case You Haven't Heard...

During April, Books & Books bookstore is offering 20% off all poetry at all three Books & Books stores in South Florida.

That’s 20 percent off Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, John Ashbery and Louis Gluck – whom you can find in Pinsky’s Essential Pleasures – and anyone else on our poetry shelves you might want to read, or read aloud.

Thousands of your fellow Americans did just that for the Favorite Poem Project. Also founded by Pinsky, the project is dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in Americans’ lives. Americans from ages 5 to 97, from every state, of diverse occupations, kinds of education and backgrounds volunteered to share their favorites.

Poetry speaks to each of us and to all of us – and never more so than when it’s read aloud. The cadence, the rhyme, the meter, the meaning. Say it loud, say it proud. Say it with www.poemsoutloud.net

National Library Week

National Library Week will be observed on April 12-18, 2009 with the theme, "Worlds connect @ your library®."

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

In ITT Technical Institute Miami, we are going for the 4th Annual Poetry Contest. Also we started a Book Swap Club to exchange used books, and opened a Career Strategy Boot Camp for job hunters and interview seekers. On April 15th, there will be a LRC presentation for admission staff on new Virtual Library interface design.

4th Annual Poetry Contest

Attention!

The Learning Resource Center
pleased to announce the
ITT Tech 4th Annual
POETRY CONTEST
for students, faculty, and staff
on April 25th 2009, at the LRC at 12 noon.
The Academic Affairs Committee will select the winners.

The prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd places and certificates of participation
will be presented
In addition, every participant will be published in the ITT Tech Anthology of Lyrics
booklet of creative writing.
Any format of poetry will be accepted.
Illustrations are welcome, too.
Here are some suggested topics: for example, education and ITT Tech Institute, friendship, Florida nature,
our community, science and technology in rhymes.
Please submit your poems in the LRC to the Librarian.

The submission due date for all entries is
April 25th, 12:00 noon

Historic Crime Scene Investigation

The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation. Starrs, James E. (author) and Kira Gale (author). Apr. 2009. 336p. illus. River Junction, paperback, $16.95 (9780964931541). 973.4. REVIEW. First published March 16, 2009 (Booklist Online).

Conspiracy theorizing is the populist historiographical method this inspection of the demise of explorer Meriwether Lewis exemplifies. Occasioned by the bicentenary of Lewis’ death, it is propelled by its authors’ expectation that the federal government, which controls Lewis’ burial site, will soon approve the exhumation that those convinced that Lewis was murdered have long been sought. Starrs noted a previous federal rejection of disinterment in his A Voice for the Dead (2005), an account of his investigations into historical homicides, including that of Jesse James. Pending the results of the unshoveling of Lewis, Starrs and Gale’s readers can revel in the success achieved by conspiracy advocates reported—indeed, reprinted seemingly verbatim—here, the proceedings of a 1996 Tennessee inquest. Starrs and Gale’s capacious, document-driven argument that Lewis was not a suicide isn’t the most editorially polished of books, but should Lewis’ bones make headlines, if and when they speak forensically from the grave, grassroots enthusiasm for it may take flight.— Gilbert Taylor

New books recommendation suggestion for criminal justice students: if you like to read historic fiction literature, this book is for you!

Library's Hero Story

An ordinary day at the library. Until..."Help!"
A student want to know what we have in our collection- everything about it, and he wants to know it... now!
Quickly, our library's hero springs into action.
With a push of the magic "red button" and in the blink of an eye our library's hero is transformed... into superhero,
Here she goes, the details of our entire collection. Charts, too!

Every library needs a hero, and every librarian can be it! Gain the super vision and lightning analytics to know your collections inside and out, you will be able to turn your collection into SUPER collection that it's super easy to use!

As we celebrating the National Library Week in April, let's celebrate our librarians that are making the most of the acquisitions budget with precise data that reveals the library's subject-matter strengths, gaps and overlaps. Let's celebrate the library staff that making the super change in collection development process and who are turning themselves into super heroes daily.

Guide to April's Activities

April. April. April. Don't fool around on the April Fool's Day -04/01!
We love April and the April's activities:
April is the National Poetry Month, the National Jazz Month, and the National Gardner Month.
On the second week of April, we librarians, celebrating the National Library Week.
The environmentalist are looking for the Earth Day that is observed on 04/22 and the bohemians -Shakespeareans are looking to celebrate the William Shakespeare birthday on 04/23. Did you know that William Shakespeare was born in 1564? In the librarians community, we love him and his classic literature. "A Book, A Book, My Kingdom for the Book!" (William Shakespeare)

Bring Your Sneakers to Work

This will be three years as we are welcoming our HIT program. The excitement of offering the Health Information Management education program continues to present.
In 2007 and 2008, we came up with initiative to celebrate the Health and Fitness Month that traditionally had been celebrated nationally wise, every year, in March.

Students and faculty members will continue to learn a combination of facts and information on healthy diets and physical exercises.

Let us continue to move on in the right direction. Let us “Bring the Sneakers to Work” for one day in March and participate in 3-mile run!

In Miami, as usual, March is not the hottest month, and we can do it in our large parking lot by using it for the sprint distance - the two magic circles around the building. Running or walking will make the event active, positively motivated, and fun.

Running and jugging help to reduce stress and keep every individual healthy.

Date: March 31
Time: 3 pm-4pm
Contact: Douglas Smith or Ida Tomshinsky
Refreshments will be served

Miami Goin' Green

On Saturday April 25, 2009, Miami’s Bayfront Park will serve as the perfect backdrop for Miami Goin’ Green – an exciting eco-friendly event that’s fun for the entire family!
Event Date: April 25, 2009
Address:
301 North Biscayne Boulevard Miami , FL 33132 USA
Contact Person:
Tony Albelo
Phone:
305.461.2700
E-Mail:
tony@miamigoingreen.com
Website:
http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?www=http%3A//miamigoingreen.com/&itemid=200901111239590.987966

Detailed Information: On Saturday April 25, 2009, Miami’s Bayfront Park will serve as the perfect backdrop for Miami Goin’ Green – an exciting eco-friendly event that’s fun for the entire family!The Green Movement is long overdue in South Florida, but has started to make its mark with companies and individuals everywhere trying to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Miami Goin’ Green will help boost the economy by providing consumers an opportunity to buy and learn about the latest innovations that are available in order to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.Exhibitors and sponsors will line the open promenades of Bayfront Park. The fun, outdoor setting will offer two open stages that will showcase live performances and seminars. The Family Fun Zone will host events for the entire family including physical challenges for kids to help promote healthy living. The “LIVE! Experiments Tent” will feature scientist-led experiments for adults and children alike.Miami Goin’ Green will walk the talk and lead by example! The event will operate on 100% alternative fuel with solar-power and bio-diesel generators. Recycling stations throughout the park will be manned by our “Green Team” to help educate visitors on how to properly recycle and dispose of their waste. In addition to traditional recycling, there will also be Tech-Recycling stations to collect unused tech items such as old batteries, cell phones, computers and monitors.

Adios March, Hello April!

On the March 31 and at 3:00 pm, we will run/walk the 3 miles in the area of our business community. Let's make the effort to gracefully finish the March's Health and Fitness Month, and swing into April's 10,000 steps-a-day program! If you stay turn on, join the April Earth Day "going green" initiative. Remember, April 22nd is the Earth day! In our continuation of efforts to go "green,” the "LRC Digital Newsletter" will not be available! In support of Earth Hour, which will be recognized on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. my computer will be turned off. I hope you will join yourself in this initiative to conserve energy. I hope, I will be able to run/walk outdoors.
For more information, visit http://www.earthhour.org/

Weight Loss on the Road

Yesterday, I was on the bus with other staff members and students. I brought from the trip a LossPrevention magazine, Nov.-Dec. 2008, V7.6, p.89. There was an article titled "Weight Loss on the Road" by David Foreman, RPh., ND at the Herbal Pharmacist. Losing weight doesn't have to be a rocket science-you need to consume fewer calories than you burn -

• increase your activity so you burn more calories than consume (30 minutes of brisk walking a day)
• eliminate refined foods (bread, sugar, pasta, etc.)
• consume at least 7-9 servings of veggies and fruits per day
• if you hungry between meals-eat nuts, seeds and dried fruits (stay away from snack machines and high calories drinks)
• avoid fried foods
• order a salad or an appetizer or two instead of a full meal
• order the salad dressings or sources "on the side" instead of mixed in
• avoid alcohol

Next time, when you are on the road, let's check it out!

Clues You Can Use

Critics rarely take Baldacci's novels seriously. He may not write "serious literature," but Baldacci's books aren't devoid of useful information or guilty pleasures:
1. Best secret code technique: a chemical wash applied to rare copies of 19th-century dime novels from "The Collectors."
2. Best terrible motto: "Why waste time trying to discover the truth, when you can so easily create it? from "The Whole Truth."
3. Best money-making scheme: a lottery scam that was so ingenious, some Italian thieves used it from "The Winner"
4. Best random factoid: Polk's wife played "Hail to the Chief" so people would notice her short husband from "The Camel Club"
5. Best worst line: "'Survival is always intoxicating,' Thornhill thought as he turned out the light from "Saving Faith"

At the ITT Technical Institute-Miami, we do not keep fiction literature in the Library collection. But we do have a small collection of paperbacks, and among them we have a David Baldacci's "Split Second." Drawn into a maze of lies, secrets, and deadly coincidences, the two discredited agents uncover a shocking truth: that the separate acts of violence that shattered their lives were really a long time in the making-and are a long way from over... Our students of Criminal Justice will find interesting reading material about promising career in the Secret Service.

Spring Rain

Unusually, this March started cold -
Nature’s fold –
Chills and snow,
Plus, north winds blow.

Unfortunately, this made
The tropical Florida weather wag,
Moving the air human and dry,
Even the grass got yellow, almost to cry

For a spring rain
Awaiting for following rain
On the plain,
Waiting for the spring rain.

Until yesterday, the wind came –
Nobody to blame –
Pushing the clouds over the sun,
Making the dark sky run.

The spring rain as a trained combat
Moved dark-at-night on the land sat.
The electricity and traffic cut down
Making the dry leaves drown.

The spring rain purring down
And taking down the dust
Leaving the grass in a clean touchdown
Creating the freshness trust.

At eight a. m., I am outside
Sponging the after rain air of Surfside,
Swinging the beach after the rain
Again, again, and all over again.

Written on the 1st day of Spring
March 20, 2009
© Ida Tomshinsky

Google vr Libraries

This is an interesting quotation posted by ilovelibraries.org at http://ilovelibraries.org/loveyourlibrary/quotationsaboutlibraries/index/cfm
found on 19 of March 2009. It helps to win the argument for the traditional or online libraries. Educational institutions do not offer degrees in "googling." So, students please continue to use the Virtual Library, the fountain of knowledge.

"My guess is (it will be) about 300 years until computers are as good as, say, your local reference library in search." (Craig Silverstein, Director of Technology, Google.com)

Eco-Friendly School Supplies

Soybeans aren’t just for tofu anymore―these days crayons are made out of them, too. Get ready to go green this fall with planet-friendly school supplies.
1. Soy crayons. Nontoxic Prang Fun Pro Soybean Crayons are made from soybean oil. $1 for eight, stubbypencilstudio.com
2. Paper stationery. Elephant Pooh makes odor-free (promise!) journals with paper made from pulped and processed dung. $9, gxonlinestore.org
3. Biodegradable pens. These corn pens disintegrate completely about a year after they are thrown away. $2, grassrootsstore.com
Learn How to Remove Crayon, Glue and More Kid Stains at Real Simple.
4. Reusable sandwich bags. Pack lunches in Wrap-N-Mat, cotton and non-PVC-vinyl–lined bags. $7, reusablebags.com
5. Recycled scissors. Kleen Earth scissors have black handles that are made from recycled plastic. $8, amazon.com
6. Adhesive paste. This glue by Coccoina, made of potato starch, works on paper and fabric. Plus, it is solvent-free and smells like almonds. $8, grassrootsstore.com
This info was brought to you from online Real Simple Magazine, Wed, March 4, 2009

It's Not Easy Bein' Green

Lyrics by
by Joe Rapposo
It's not that easy bein' green; Having to spend each day the color of the leaves. When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold- or something much more colorful like that. It's not easy bein' green. It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things. And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water- or stars in the sky. But green's the color of Spring. And green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain, or tall like a tree. When green is all there is to be It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why? Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful! And I think it's what I want to be.

Featured This Month

National Women’s History Month
Even though women clearly have a long history, their contributions only began to be formally celebrated and recognized in the 1970s, and in 1981, a congressional resolution officially established a “National Women’s History Week.” In 1987, the National Women’s History Project worked to expand the celebration to the entire month of March and received strong bipartisan support from both houses of Congress.
The theme for 2009 is “Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet.” Rachel Carson, the pioneering environmentalist, is the iconic model for the theme, while 100 other women scientists, engineers, business leaders, writers, filmmakers, conservationists, teachers, community organizers, religious or workplace leaders are listed with complete bios on the project website.
Gale is offering free resources and activities on its Women’s History Month website. The site offers such free resources as suggested activities, weekly quizzes, biographies, a timeline, and links to complement discussion topics. New downloadable bookmarks, a calendar, and screensavers are also available. Read more...
The information is taken from ProgrammingLibrarian.org.

Daytime Savings

Do not forget to change your clocks! Daytime savings begin tomorrow, on the 8th of March. This is a great opportunity to start a new resolution - to exercise outdoors. Try it, you will not get disappointed.

Net Generation

The New York Times summarized the thousands interviews from Grown Up Digital book written by Don Tapscott. This book discusses the "Net Generation" (teens and young adults from 11 to 31) and their total assumption of the Internet into their lives. They watch about one-quarter less television than their parents, but spend between 8 and 33 hours a week online; where they can meet, share, and participate in digital socializing.
1. They prize freedom
2. They want to customize things
3. They enjoy collaboration
4. They scrutinize everything
5. They insist on integrity in institutions and corporations
6. They want to have fun even at school or work
7. They believe that speed in technology and all else is normal
8. They regard constant innovation as a fact of life

Greening Your Bussiness

"Greening Your Business: Hands-On Guide to Creating a Successful and Sustainable Business" by Daniel Sitarz is a new book that for the first time gives the business owners a hands-on guide to saving energy, saving materials, and saving money by reducing their businesses' impact on the Earth.
Every element of a business's impact on the environment is examined in this comprehensive book-energy and water use, waste generation, transportation, computing and office equipment, supply chains and purchases, building practices, and product and service design.
Also the books included a CD that contains charts, worksheets and other practical tools and advice.
The bottom line, it will help the planet!

Books?

They are just part of what we have in the Learning Resource Center (LRC.) The LRC is not just about the books. We also deliver a deep experience with an array of digital resources at the Virtual Library and services that go far beyond books: from school IDs to typing and printing services - and all FREE of charge.

Please come and see us at our new remodeled facility, Monday to Saturday.

The contemporary LRC moves from data to information center. We are the people that will show you how the magic will happen.

Reading

Reading takes you everywhere!
To here and to there,
Very far
And very near.

There are many places
You’ll go with books
You will see many different faces
That you only may meet in books.

Could you read a book?
Would you look
Very far
And very near?

Read
Every day -
A book, or two, per
Day!

Read to succeed
Read to achieved,
Books will take you everywhere.
Do not have any fear!

Make it very clear –
Find an “A” in literacy affair
And the “B” and the “C”
On your PC.

Reading takes you everywhere!
To here and to there,
Very far
And very near.

Ida Tomshinsky 2009

March 2009 Events

March is a National Women’s History Month
A Look at Women’s History Month by the National Women’s History Project
Places Where Women Made History: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
The National Women’s Hall of Fame
Women’s History at About.com
Gale Cengage Learning> Free Resources for Women’ History Month> Timeline> Biographies> Activities> etc

Return Those Borrowed Books Week (1st Week of March)

March 2 Dr. Seuss born, 1904 (105th Birthday!)
March 3 Inventor Alexander Graham Bell born, 1847
March 8 Daylight Savings Time Begins
March 11 Johnny Appleseed Day
March 14 Scientist Albert Einstein born, 1879
March 17 St. Patrick’s Day
March 20 1st Day of Spring
March 26 Poet Robert Frost born, 1874
March 29 Coca-Cola was invented

March 31 “Bring Your Sneakers to Work” event to
honor the National Health and Nutrition Month

Catch the Vibe...Dr.Seuss is 105

Did you know that Dr. Seuss was born on March 2nd of 1904? Check out the quotations that belongs to U.S. author and illustrator (1904-1991).

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to the world as the beloved Dr. Seuss, was born in 1904 on Howard Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Ted's father, Theodor Robert, and grandfather were brewmasters in the city. His mother, Henrietta Seuss Geisel, often soothed her children to sleep by "chanting" rhymes remembered from her youth. Ted credited his mother with both his ability and desire to create the rhymes for which he became so well known.

At the time of his death on September 24, 1991, Ted had written and illustrated 44 children's books, including such all-time favorites as Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You'll Go, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His books had been translated into more than 15 languages. Over 200 million copies had found their way into homes and hearts around the world.Besides the books, his works have provided the source for eleven children's television specials, a Broadway musical and a feature-length motion picture. Other major motion pictures are on the way.

His honors included two Academy awards, two Emmy awards, a Peabody award and the Pulitzer Prize.

"A person is a person, no matter how small."
"Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them."
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. "
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. "

Affording the Essentials is Essential

In today's economy, there are simple strategies for saving. Stretching a dollar doesn't have to hurt. Here are just few easy ways to make your money go further:

1. Shop and cook ahead,
2. BOGO for it: when you see buy-one-get-one-free deals or other sales on non-perishables or foods that can be frozen, buy it in bulk,
3. Bring your own food to work or school - it's healthier and more economical,
4. Instead of going to the vending machine, be ready with a snack you've packed from home,
5. Collect those coupons,
6. Pack your own brown bag instead of going out: you can eat healthfully and save dramatically,
7. Make your own coffee at home and save on every cup,
8. Dare to compare at the price-per-ounce or price-per-unit figures on the shelf to quickly find the lowest cost.

Dear Ms. "N"

This poem "Dear Ms. "N" was written on the way home from my trip to Jacksonville to attend the annual fall FACRL librarians conference. The program included a panel held by young librarians that are attending the Master's Degree programs in Library Sciences. The young men and women were collaborated about the future of our profession. It was both entertaining and refreshing. At the end of the conference, I got a chance to talk to them, to shake the hand and wish them to get in love with their careers the same way as our generation did with our profession.

This particular poem is for my colleagues librarians as a way to wish them a happy Valentine's Day and a great Presidents Day!

Dear Ms. "N,"
You are the best librarian!
You are the “number 1” on career’s job-list.
You are the beauty. I am the beast.
I watch you every time
When I visit the library of mine
I noticed your grace
In the great inspirational place
As you reading the reference
With knowledge and confidence.
Librarians like you make a difference
24/7 without preference.
You are the leader
Climbing the professional ladder as a feather.
You are a powerful educational link
Writing with blue ink.
You are an asset to local community –
Our future technical infinity.
You are fun and eclectic.
You are the messenger of new tactic.
All the best wishes,
Hugs and kisses,
Truly yours, and admired
That wants you to be hired
To work and grow
In the future job market of tomorrow.

Finally, signature to clear,
And the date to bear.

Ida Tomshinsky © November 7, 2008

"Dear Teacher"

As the Valentine's day is coming up tomorrow, I researched and came up with "a stunning book" that "is fun to share." This is a delightful children's book titled "Love Letters" by Arnold Adolff and illustrated by Lisa Desimini.

I hope this quite little poem will put a smile on the face of our academic faculty members:

Dear Teacher:
I
hope
you never
find out
this red
h e a r t
is
from me.
I
like
to stay
q u i e t
in
the
class
crowd.

Yours As A Mouse.

Is Green Your Lucky Color?

Is green your lucky color?
“Yes, it is,”- green is incorporated in my soul.

Once upon a time,
Long before the green initiative
And energy consumption,
Green was my mother’s favorite line.

Long time ago,
Before green became the hot season’s color
My eyes’ green pigment
Became the style-trend following entertainment.

Yes, green is my lucky color!
Green is incorporated in my soul.
Look at me, I have a green purse
And a green house.

I have a lime bedroom
For a little zoom,
And I have a green dress
For the weekend success.

I like to drink green tea,
And I like the view of my green palm tree;
Green, green, very green ocean,
And green cucumber lotion.

I like the green iguanas
And the green bananas,
A green Honda,
And the green tropical flora.

Hot summer days are green, too.
When the skies are extremely blue.
After the tropical rain, the green grass is new.
The leaves and the trees are sinew.

Which green is your lucky color,
The light green or darker?
Any green is my favorite color.
Any green makes me happier and younger!

2008 Ida Tomshinsky

Top 10 Books on the Environment: 2009

This list was posted by the Booklist Online on February 12th of 2009.

The best “green” books reviewed in Booklist over the past year take distinctive perspectives on the same matrix of forces human and wild, explicating problems, offering solutions, and telling compelling stories of hubris and hope.

Albatross: Their World, Their Ways. By Tuie De Roy and others. 2008. Firefly, $49.95 (9781554074150).
In this magnificent book about a magnificent bird—the revered, now endangered albatross—wildlife photographer De Roy and contributing scientists cover all aspects of albatross beauty, biology, and conservation.
American Earth: Environmental Writing since Thoreau. Ed. by Bill McKibben. 2008. Library of America, $40 (9781598530209).
The environmental movement has been guided by writing of clarity and power, including books by McKibben, who has created a defining and essential anthology featuring 100 pioneering, eco-minded writers.
Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honeybee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis. By Rowan Jacobsen. 2008. Bloomsbury, $25 (9781596915374).
Jacobsen celebrates the marvels of the honeybee, reveals the many ways we’ve endangered this essential pollinator, and calls for action to prevent a “fruitless fall.”
Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future. By Greg Melville. 2008. Algonquin, paper, $15.95 (9781565125957).
Melville’s Larky tale of a coast-to-coast road trip in a car running on french-fry oil, including stops at a wind farm, a renewable energy lab, and a green home, is splendidly entertaining and educational.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America. By Thomas L. Friedman. 2008. Farrar, $27.95 (9780374166854).
Friedman makes the all-important connection between business and environmentalism in this call for a green revolution.
The Hudson: America’s River. By Frances F. Dunwell. 2008. Columbia Univ., $74.50 (9780231136402); paper, $29.95 (9780231136419).
The beautiful and historic Hudson River became “grossly polluted,” a story with a happy and instructive ending brilliantly told by Dunwell, a key figure in the river’s restoration.
Nature’s Second Chance: Restoring the Ecology of Stone Prairie Farm. By Steven I. Apfelbaum. 2009. Beacon, $25.95 (9780807085820).
Ecologist Apfelbaum candidly chronicles the complex challenges he faced while restoring an 80-acre swath of woefully depleted and toxic southern Wisconsin farmland and turning it back into a thriving prairie.
Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles. By Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly. 2008. Overlook, $26.95 (9781585678600).
A fun book about smog? Jacobs and Kelly capture the aura of 1950s sci-fi movies in this lively history of Los Angeles’ monstrous smog.
Trespass: Living at the Edge of the Promised Land. By Amy Irvine. 2008. Farrar/North Point, $25 (0-86547-703-5).
Drawing on her Mormon family history, Irvine revels in Utah’s breathtaking beauty and protests its destructive exploitation.
Why I Came West. By Rick Bass. 2008. Houghton, $24 (9780618596751).
Bass tracks his ardor for the wild, especially his love for Montana’s Yaak Valley, in this moving and instructive memoir of his life as a writer and wilderness activist.

New Titles from LRC

CEET program:
1. A Guide to MATLAB for Beginners and Experienced Users by Brian R. Hunt
2. Brief Calculus: An Applied Approach by Ron Larson

* Due to the fact that we got damage to the Library Collection, we will need to replace the books in mathematics and physics. Mr. Pino, you request is fulfilled and is ready for the check out. Thank you for request.

CJ program:
1. The Color of Guilt and Innocence by Steve Holbert and Lisa Rose
2. The First [48]: The Most Intense Investigations: DVD

Hewlett-Packard Can Help College to Go Green

The HP got an all-new Eco Solution Program to design new products and services with a perspective operations to better our planet. For example, the modern HP products use less energy and that means that they are saving money- and that's good for everyone.
How to reduce the environmental impact?

a. recycle old equipment
b. reduce power usage
c. return empty HP print cartridges

Well, don't you think that to be environmental responsible is a good business?! HP can help any college campus to go green.

GreenPrint Software

FAST FACT:

GreenPrint is a software that maximized your printer's output in order to save paper, toner, and energy. The software eliminates waste by allowing you to highlight and remove unwanted pages (e.g. banner ads and legal jargon), creates PDF files with one click, and keeps a tally of paper, CO2, and trees saved. The version for Windows is free. There is a fee for the Mac version and upgraded versions.
The rubric is brought to you from GreenPrint: Saving Money Today, Trees Tomorrow.
www.printgreener.com. Retrieved February 4, 2009.

Talented Freshman CJ Student

Diane M. Bazil (D.M.B.) is a freshman student at the Criminal Justice program. She has a passion for creative writing. She always care with her a folder with motivational creative writings.

When students approached Diane and asked her why she decided to study "Crime and Justice" at ITT Technical Institute instead of "Crime and Punishment" by F. Dostoevsky in a Literature program, she said that she made a practical choice to get a professional career that pays more money, and her passion for writing is her hobby that keeps her motivated and helps her to keep the promise to herself to stay in school and achieve her educational goal.

Good luck, Diane! Do not give up! May all your goals and dreams come through.

Diane M. Bazail's Embrace Quote
"Each night as I call out your name, I feel your warm embrace wraps around me like a heated."

Diane M. Bazail's Possibilities Quote
"With my heart pounding against the untamed wind, he sat ocean side, a comfortable distance away from me, yet close enough, to leave open all."

Guide to February '09 Activities

February- Continue to participate in the "Right to Research" campaign in the Virtual Library. Our goal is information literacy for everybody. If you forgot the log in or the password, come see the Librarian to retrieve them. Which group will participate for the whole of 100%?

February- Celebrate Diversity in Our Community-Black History Month
(We have bookmarks with motivational quotations.)

February 01-The Super Ball XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL

February12-Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration (1809-2009). Stop by the LRC and pick-up the fliers from http://www.abrahamlincoln200.org/

February 14-Valentine's Day (Pre-Valentine's Day of Chocolate Testing-Friday, February, 13)
There are coloring pages available in the LRC

February 16-Presidents Day (the school is closed)

February 22- George Washington's birthday

Strengths of the Virtual Library

It is very important that faculty and staff familiarize with the current up-to-date resources and services that are provided by the Virtual Library. This communication will integrate the ACICS standard (ACICS-3-4-404) that encourages faculty to "inspire, motivate, and direct student usage of library resources." Faculty and staff are in the position of influence. Their advocacy and promotion of the library resources are effecting the academic success of students.

Congratulation to the faculty members who literary are "bombarding" our students with assignments from the Virtual Library! This quarter, I would like to single out Mr. C. Albury for making sure that every student followed the Virtual Library assignment and Mr. F. Martinez for the best practice of usage the digital library resources. Your efforts are above satisfaction!

Our computers installed. Thanks to Manual Hernandez, they are running well! Good job, Manny!

Four Seasons of Trees

At the summertime,
In the instant era of sublime,
Every green tree
Is entertaining me.

The urban trees voyage
Of fall architectural foliage
Brings intense colors and engaging in both
In sculptural, and in anatomical forms.

Winter air with transparency breeze
Makes my evergreen trees to freeze.
Leafless standing beauty of form and mind
Stretches my imagination to remind

That rains and winds will pass by, in behind.
Early spring sun will shine very kind
Letting my trees to grow,
Letting the baby leaves glow.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to attend
The Four Seasons of Trees,
The successful play off annual show-end.
Ms. Universe Tree’s judges,

For a moment, stock between lifetime claim
Of duel finalists of two trees,
Palm or Pine tree beauty’s fame.
The excitement increases.

The jury delivers scientific news:
“Officially, Palm tree is a shrub.
So, please, walk a side to the Palm Tree Club.”
Finally, the crown goes to the Pine tree.

Hugs and kisses,
In addition, best wishes
To the evergreen graceful Pine tree.
There are no any objections from me.

2008-2009 © IT

Celebrate Lincoln's Legacy

Everybody knows Abraham Lincoln.
In 2009, on February 12th the world will celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.
It is a call to civic engagement. It is a teachable moment.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery.

Report to the Obama-Biden Transition Team

The American Library Association Washington Office prepared a report on the library community’s key issues and concerns, Opening the “Window to a Larger World”: Libraries’ Role in Changing America (PDF file), and submitted it to the Obama-Biden transition team on December 17. The Washington Office hopes to continue this open dialogue with the administration over the next four years....

- libraries are "helping Americans get back to work"
- libraries are a sole source of "no-fee access to the Internet for 73 percent of Americans"
- libraries still shine on as traditional " sanctuaries of learning" - a safe place for children
- "Americans are using libraries now more than ever"
- Librarians take very seriously their responsibility to "serve as guardians for the public in assuring access to the most trusted, unbiased information."
...from Report to President Obama-Vice-President Biden Transition Team, December 17, 2008, American Library Association

The Dream

More than forty years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. electrified the nation when he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King’s prophetic utterances started the long overdue process of changing America’s idea of itself. His words would enter the American lexicon, galvanizing the civil rights movement, and becoming a touchstone for all that the country might someday achieve. Tomorrow, America will be one-step closer to King’s visionary goal of redeemed America.

Public Space

The Library's public space is an important part of overall vision to enrich human spirit and to provide opportunities for solitude and reflection.

The LRC at ITT Technical Institute in Miami is in making due to college remodeling. The Learning Research Center is more then shelves of books and sets of digital databases online. The LRC is not only about computer workstations. Students and faculty come to use the library's multimedia in LRC. And there is more, the expectation to use the LRC not only as an information center but also as a public space. The LRC is an important part of the college community center where the students and faculty meet and communicate.

The remodeled LRC's public space will contribute to college community by providing the opportunities to study individually and in groups. The active use of the LRC as a public space places the library at the center of public life and supports life-long learning.

The Library staff welcome and encourage students and faculty to make the best of the public space for various educational and research needs -

• to utilize the library resources,
• to take advantage of the library services,
• to explore the reference services on campus and online (Ask-A-Librarian services by chat or by e-mail),
• to participate in LRC activities and outreach programs,
• to fulfill curriculum projects and course assignments, and
• to join the cultural celebrations in the LRC.

Reference Service

I would like remind our student-faculty population to use the "live" connection with e-librarians via e-mail (and get answers in a very short time from two hours to two business days) and in a chat form (twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week) by using the Virtual Library at http://library.itt-tech.edu.

For example, the Ask-A-Librarian reference service is here to assist you with using library resources and constructing search strategies.

In 2007-2008 fiscal year, 7221 people used this popular service. This number breaks up
as following:

• E-mails: 1220
• Chats: 6001

What are you waiting for? Submit your question today!

Do your project with a librarian that is standing by you and save time!

Investigate Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

Great American writer, Edgar Allan Poe, was born on January 19, 1809. He lived a short life and died at age 40. His influence is "long-lived and far-flung." The 200th anniversary of Poe's birth, this coming year, is scheduled to celebrate in every library across United States - in schools, colleges, and public libraries. The big celebration is planned to involve Richmond, Va. (where Poe grew up) and Baltimore (site of Poe's grave and home to the Ravens football team) - all the way to Russia and Japan.
Edgar Allan Poe was orphaned by the age of 3, and as a young adult he was adapted by a foster father. One by one, everybody he loved (including his foster mother, his older brother, and his young wife, Virginia) died before him. The unsolved story of his death adds another layer to Poe's mysticism. As his biography goes, in September 1849, Poe left Richmond for New York - but instead went to Baltimore, where he was found six days later, very ill and delirious, at a local tavern. He passed away within days. Since that time, nobody resolved the unknown chain of events that took him to Baltimore, nor the actual disease that caused his death.
There is more to this fascinated story. Poe's scholar, Edward Petit, has issued a thread to dig up the author's grave and move the body to Philadelphia where Poe lived for several years.
The information and facts were reported by Diane Cole's in U.S. News, Vol.145, Number 14, p.53-54.

LRC Guide to January 2009 Events and Programs

January 4, 2009 200th Anniversary of Louis Braille

On January 4, 2009, the American Foundation for Blind will join organizations across the globe in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. He was the Frenchman who invented the raised dot code that bears his name.

January 19, 2009 Celebrate the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This year Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be celebrated on 19 January - the day before the historic presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. Martin L. King date of birth is January 15, 1929 and is observed on the third Monday in January each year.

November 29, 2008 - January 29, 2009
Drawing in Space: The Peninsula Project, Sculpture by John Henry/Peninsula Project Illustrated and Educational

Drawing in Space: The Peninsula Project, Sculpture by John Henry features the sculpture of world-renowned artist, John Henry, and will take place in seven major cities around the Florida peninsula from October 2008 through May 2009. Peninsula Project Illustrated – Educational at the Miami Beach Regional Library will be an educational exhibit with photographs, drawings, and models demonstrating the making of the monumental sculptures sited around the state and illustrating the project’s overall cultural impact on Florida and especially on the city of Miami. For further details on the project visit:http://www.peninsulaproject.com/

January, 2009 Recycling 101: The Basic, The Benefits

With the involvement and enthusiasm of students and faculty, recycling is back! It doesn't just make sense. It makes a huge difference to our environment and our quality of life.

2009 Year Chinese New Year: Year of the Ox

Oxen are born in 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009. They are leaders, inspiring confidence in everyone they come into contact with. However, they can be too demanding. Methodical and good with their hands, they make fine surgeons and hairdressers.