Cause-Effect Topics

Before starting your research, use the Assignment Calculator to plan out your work.

Find books, videos, DVDs available in MCC Library or 26 area public libraries by searching iBistro. Try our new online book collection, Opposing Viewpoints.

CQ Researcher provides an overview of many topics of interest.

Locate current news articles on your topic of choice in Lexis-Nexis.

For most topics, magazine and journal articles can be found in Academic Search Premier.

For health related topics, you can also search Science Direct and Medline.

Find articles on the psychological aspects of certain topics (horror movies, high school sports, public spaces, etc) by using PsycInfo.

If you are having difficulty finding what you need,
REMEMBER:
Reference Librarians are here to help!
Stop by the Reference Desk
Call us at 732 906-2561
Email us at refmcclibrary@yahoo.com
Post a question on this Blog
or use QandANJ

Racism or Prejudice

Before starting your research, use the Assignment Calculator to plan out your work.

Get some background information on racism or prejudice by the History search in Facts on File.

Find books, videos, DVDs available in MCC Library or 26 area public libraries by searching iBistro.

You can also search for psychology e-books by using PsycBooks.

Locate current news articles on your topic of choice in Lexis-Nexis. Limit your search results to the last 3 or 6 months.

Find articles on the psychological aspects of racism and prejudice by using PsycInfo.

Additional articles can be found in Academic Search Premier.

If you are having difficulty finding what you need, REMEMBER:
Reference Librarians are here to help!
Stop by the Reference Desk
Call us at 732 906-2561
Email us at refmcclibrary@yahoo.com
or Post a question on this Blog.

Finding Author Credentials

Before starting your research, use the Assignment Calculator, the procrastinator's best friend!

Learning about the authors of articles, books, websites or other materials, provides one approach to verifying the accuracy of information. However, many authors work in relative obscurity and finding extensive (or any) information on their credentials or expertise can be a challenge. The steps outlined below, offer a systematic approach to locating information about authors.
Please see a Reference Librarian if you encounter any difficulties.

FOR AUTHORS OF BOOKS:

Check for biographical information on the dust covers of hard bound books, or on the covers of paperback books. (Unlike many other academic libraries, Middlesex County College retains the dust covers of books added to the collection.)

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION:

• Redo a Author/Name search in iBistro to locate other books by the same author or books ABOUT the author.

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION:

• Check Biography Reference Bank, Literary Reference Center, Literature Resource Center, or Biography Collection Complete under the author's name.

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION:

• Look for a book review on one of the author's books. Lengthier reviews may provide information on the background of the author you are researching. (See a Reference Librarian for help in locating reviews)

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION

• Follow some of the steps outlined in "FOR AUTHORS OF ARTICLES".

FOR AUTHORS OF ARTICLES:

When using MCC Library's databases listed under Magazine, Newspaper & Journal Articles , the following techniques can help you find author credentials:

• If the article you find is available full text or full image, you may find information about the author at the beginning or the end of the article. This is particularly true for journal articles.

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION

• Where possible, check for a paper copy of the the magazine, journal or newspaper containing the article in question. You may find information on the author at the front of the issue under "Contributors" or under the information detailing the editorial staff and most prominent staff writers. (Of course if the article was not available in electronic format to begin with, you would have to find the paper source).

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION

• If using the databases on the Magazine, Newspaper & Journal Articles page, try clicking on the author's name. You may find other articles written by him/her which may contain biographical information. You may also find that the author seems to write exclusively for one publication, on one particular subject area. (If this is the case, follow the instructions that follow).

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION

• Find the website for the publication. (If you are using one of the EBSCO databases, do a "Publication Search". The website will be listed in the details of the publication). You may find the author's credentials listed there.

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION

• Do a search on GOOGLE or other search engine. A word of caution: there may be many people with the same name. It may prove difficult to determine which one is the author you are seeking.

IF THIS YIELDS NO INFORMATION

• See a Reference Librarian or....

• Maybe the lack of information on the author is telling you something?....

Reference Librarians are here to help!
Stop by the Reference Desk
Call us at 732 906-2561
Email us at refmcclibrary@yahoo.com
or Post a question on this Blog.

CSC 105 &106

Remember to help yourself with time management of your paper by using the Assignment Calculator.

Want to get a jump-start on finding what's available through MCC Library? Try our new 360 Search. You can search up to 19 of our databases plus iBistro all at once.

Or search the following Library databases individually to find articles on your topic:

ABI/Inform

Academic Search Premier

Communication and Mass Media Complete

Lexis-Nexis

TIP: use "Technology gap" to see if you get additional resources for your topic "Digital Divide".


Locate Books, DVDs and videos in this Library and 27 other libraries by using iBistro.

To find items in other libraries throughout the country, use Worldcat.

Whatever we do not have in this Library can be obtained for you at no charge by using Interlibrary Loan.

On the Public Web:
Need additional help with:
Microsoft Office 2007? Try the University of Wisconsin's site.
Visual Basic? Look at the sites listed on the ARC website.
Writing a paper? Try the OWL at Purdue.

Want to know how a search engine works? Look at this How Stuff Works page.

If you want some details on Google's search algorithm, try How Google Works.

Check a few of the "human-powered" directories like the Librarian's Index to the Internet or Infomine to locate a few credible sites on computer science topics.

Try using a different search engine like Ask, Kartoo, Quintura or Exalead. Try an "unusual" one like Ms Dewey, or some search engines that are still in Beta like Powerset or Hakia, or metasearch engines like Dogpile, Ixquick or Mamma.

Investigate some interesting tools: Mint, iLighter, MyNoteIt, Ning, Spokeo, Jott, Delicious, NetVibes, SecondLife, OpenOffice, Mozilla, LibraryThing, EasyBib, SecondLife, and, last but not least, a game that does some good-FreeRice.

Take a look at the top 10 searches (in several categories) for July 2008. How many of these terms did you use?

Finally, take a look at the Search Engines Relationship chart.

Need more help?
Stop by the Reference Desk
Email us at refmcclibrary@yahoo.com
Call us at 732 906-2561
or
Post a question on this Blog.

Dance

Start off by using the Assignment Calculator at U of Minnesota Libraries.

Below are suggested sources for information on topics in Dance:

• Check the International Encyclopedia of Dance
  
• Look for books, DVDs and videos available in our Library by using iBistro. You can also see what some libraries in the Middlesex County area have as well.
  
• For books, DVDs and videos available in other libraries, try WORLDCAT. Use Interlibrary Loan for items MCC Library does not have. Forms are also available at the Reference Desk.
• Use The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts catalog. While the items are not full text, MCC Library can try to obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

You can search 19 of our databases all at once, by using 360 Search. Note that the default is to search the words in the title, but it may give you a good idea of what databases would work best. (Titles with an asterisk are in 360 Search).

LIBRARY DATABASES

Biography Reference Bank

Academic Search Premier

JSTOR

Lexis-Nexis

Historical Newspapers- The New York Times- 1851-2004

Project Muse

WEBSITES

Professional Associations & Organizations

American Dance Guild

American Dance Therapy Guild

Dance Educators of America

Dance Notation Bureau

Dance New Jersey

National Association of Schools of Dance

National Dance Association

National Dance Education Organization

New Jersey Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance

Society for Dance Research

Society of Dance History Scholars

Dance Companies

Alvin Ailey

American Ballet Theater

Kirov Ballet

Limon Dance Company

Merce Cunningham

New York City Ballet

Paul Taylor

Mega Sites & Misc. Dance Related Sites

ArtstLynx

CyberDance: Ballet on the Net

McCarter Theatre - Princeton

New York Magazine Classical & Dance Events

NJPAC

NYC Dance Connection (Ballroom and Latin Dance in the Tri-state area)

Performing Arts in Latin America

Star Ledger Arts & Events Calendar ( search "Dance")
State Theatre - New Brunswick.

Remember, MCC Reference Librarians are here to help:
Call 732 906-2561
Email us at refmcclibrary@yahoo.com
or post a question on this blog.

HRI-Careers

Remember to help yourself with time management of your research assignment by using the Assignment Calculator.

A list of resources for finding career information is available on the Library's Subject Guides page, under 'Careers'.

Along with the general employment finding aids listed in the Subject Guide-Careers, the following selected websites are useful for anyone interested in the Hospitality industry:

Casino Careers Online
http://www.casinocareers.com/
Create and post resumes for free and search for job openings across the gaming industry.

CEC Search
http://www.cecsearch.com
Geared to the restaurant industry, the focus is on executive and management positions. Post your resume, get career advice and job seeking tips, along with viewing restaurant job listings.

Food Industry Jobs
http://www.foodindustryjobs.com/
Search for jobs and create resumes and cover letters. While free for job seekers, you are required to set up an "account" in order to use this website.

Hcareers.com
http://www.hcareers.com/
Covers job openings in all aspects of the hospitality industry, both for entry-level, executive/management and everything in between.

Hospitality Link
http://www.hospitalitylink.com/
Another free "registration required" website that allows you to post resumes and search for all types of jobs in the field.

Hospitality Net
http://www.hospitalitynet.org
A multi-purpose hospitality website, it includes an overview of current job openings, but free registration is required to search and view the details of job openings and to post a resume.

Hospitality Jobs Online
http://www.hospitalityonline.com/
Browse job openings by position, property, location and company. You can post a resume and get other types of help by registering (free).

Pastrywiz.com's Culinary Jobs
http://www.pastrywiz.com/talk/job.htm
Job openings and other industry information.

Restaurant Recruit
http://www.restaurantrecruit.com/
Look for job openings and career fairs nationwide.

Most industry association websites also provide career information and job listings. Most also offer discounted membership rates for students.

General information on researching any aspect of HRI is available on the Library's website under Subject Guides-Hotel, Restaurants and Institution Management.

REMEMBER!
Reference Librarians are here to help!
Stop by the Reference Desk
Email us at refmcclibrary@yahoo.com
Call us at 732 906-2561 or
Post a question on this Blog.
Professional reference librarians are also available 24/7 through an international chat reference service. New Jersey's portion is called QandANJ

Voter Registration

Interested in the Presidential campaign? Local elections are your passion?
Want to make your voice heard?
If you haven't registered to vote, it's not too late! (You have until October 14, 2008)

Not sure if you are eligible to vote? Not sure how to go about registering? Find out here.

Registration forms are available from the NJ Division of Elections website.

Get information on the Presidential candidates and New Jersey local candidates by looking at the NJ Voter Info website.

Still have questions?
Reference Librarians are here to help!
Stop by the Reference Desk
Email us at refmcclibrary@yahoo.com
Call us at 732 906-2561 or
Post a question on this Blog.
Professional reference librarians are also available 24/7 through an international chat reference service. New Jersey's portion is called QandANJ