Library Press Display provides instant online access to today’s newspapers from around the world in full-color, full-page format.  The collection currently includes more than 1,700 U.S. and international titles—from 94 countries in 48 languages. Just like reading the print edition, viewers can browse articles and other key content, such as pictures, advertisements, classifieds, and notices. The service also provides up to a 60-day backfile and the ability to perform keyword searches across all titles and the entire backfile.

Access to the Library Press Display is limited to 3 simultaneous users so please logout when finished.

RAND Texas, a service of the nation’s leading think tank, is a collection of 110 databases on TX and 49 other states.  RAND Texas now contains 110 databases (with about one-half covering all 50 U.S. states).  RAND Texas Statistics offers a comprehensive portfolio of statistics for the state of Texas. These datasets are broken down into seven categories:

• Business and Economics contains information on employment, unemployment, industry and occupational wages, occupational projections, construction and real estate (including non-residential vacancy rates), inflation, foreign trade, retail and taxable sales, sales tax rates, gross state product, personal and per capita income, farm income, city budgets, and airport operating statistics.
• Community includes a number of “quality of life” measures, such as crime rates, air quality, traffic, population density, and tax rates.
• Education covers public and private Kindergarten through college schools in Texas. It includes enrollment, test scores, class size, student and teacher demographics, teacher salaries, district finances, and other data. Many of the databases are searchable by zip code.
• Energy and Environment reports energy generation, sources, consumption, expenditures and prices, gas emissions, wind power capacity, and estimated water usage.
• Government Finance summarizes federal, state, and local expenditures in Texas. This link includes tax rates, R&D spending, and government employment.
• Health and Socioeconomic covers public assistance programs, such as TANF (welfare), and health care providers, including physicians and others.
• Population and Demographics contains U.S., Texas, county, and city population estimates, including population estimates by race, ethnicity, and age for most areas. It also includes population projections, border crossing and immigration statistics, and vital statistics.

You can access Library Press Display or RAND Texas from the VC/UHV Library website under the “List of all databases A to Z” or by clicking on the hyperlinks in this post. If you have any questions about using the new databases (or any of the Library resources), please contact the Reference Librarian.

You can use the following resources to help you choose a topic related to current issues and news events.

• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center - Examines contemporary issues from the pro and con. Features viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles, primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to Websites.
• TOPICsearch – allows researchers to explore social, political & economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics. It contains newspapers, periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, government information and more.
• CQ Researcher - Provides in-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.
• Consumer Health Complete - If you want to explore a health related topic, the Consumer Health Complete is a great place to start. Comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health content. Designed to support patients’ information needs and foster an overall understanding of health-related topics.
• Victoria Advocate/Newsbank Database - Although this database is used for searching the Victoria Advocate, the creator has provided a handy “HOT TOPIC” and “SPECIAL REPORTS” feature on the left side of the home page. The hot topics links will send you a brief paragraph about the topic and give you some keywords for searching the Advocate database (or any other). The special reports links will send you to articles, websites, and other related information.
• The Idea Generator – Old Dominion University Libraries - The librarians at Old Dominion have created this topic generator. Select a broad topic from the nine categories on the main page. The link will take you to a large list of current topics under the category you selected. Then come back to the VC/UHV Library web page, select an appropriate database and start searching.

If you need any assistance using the resources above or you can’t find what you are looking for, the Reference Librarians are here to help. You can stop by the library or use our online chat service during our open hours, call us at 361-570-4166 or toll-free at 800-687-5006, email us at askalibrarian@uhv.edu or askalibrarian@victoriacollege.edu. Our priority at the library is helping you become a successful student.

A schedule of the Fall 2011 library workshops is available by clicking here. The first workshop will be Tuesday, September 20 from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM in Library Room 304.

If you are interested in learning more about the library workshops, please contact Amanda Breu at 361-570-4169.

Whenever you need library assistance, all you have to do is Ask A Librarian. We are here to help you!

I know that as a professional librarian, I am supposed to be unbiased when talking about library resources. I know that as a human being, remaining unbiased is hard to do. Case in point – CQ Researcher. This resource is, hands down, my favorite. Just like the title of the post suggests, it is a nifty little resource.

CQ Researcher are single-themed reports published weekly. (Actually, they are published 44 times per year) According to the publisher, CQ Press, the each report is researched and written by an experienced journalist. Each report contains introductory overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources (p. 1). The reports cover topics related to health, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the economy, social trends, the environment and technology.

The most recent reports are:

• Mine Safety
• Foreign Aid & National Security
• Nuclear Power
• Teen Drug Use
• Energy Policy
• Class Action Lawsuits
• Business Ethics

CQ Researcher allows you to search by topic, browse by topic or browse by date. When you find the report that fits your needs, you can view it online. CQ Researcher is also great because it will let you view the report as a PDF so you can save or print it in a format that is easy to read. It prints the pages like a magazine so there are pictures and text formatting instead of it being one giant text document. The reports are also updated but I have to admit, I cannot find an explanation of why and when they will be updated.

Other than the PDF layout, I enjoy the fact I can create an individual profile. Under my profile, I can create e-mail alerts so I am aware of the latest publications, mark documents as “my favorite” for easy retrieval, save my searches and have a list of the last 25 documents I viewed. Having my profile makes research easy for me because it takes two clicks of my mouse to read the report instead of having to search for it time and again.

I could go on and on about why CQ Researcher is such a valuable resource but I don’t want to bore you to death. If you asked for three reasons why CQ Researcher is my favorite library resource I would say: the reports are easy to find, easy to read and are jam-packed with quality information.

So next time your professor asks you to write a paper or give a speech on a current issue, don’t forget to check out CQ Researcher. You just might find there is a report dedicated to your topic.

1. Access this resource by following these steps:
2. Go to the library homepage at http://vcuhvlibrary.uhv.edu/
3. Click on the “List of All Databases A to Z” link in the Quick Links box
4. Click on the “C” in the alphabetical list
5. Scroll down on the page and click on CQ Researcher
6. If you are off campus, you will be asked to enter your login information. This is the same username/password that is used to login to the Pirate Portal (VC students) and Blackboard (UHV students)

The MMY is a book series published in print, but the VC/UHV Library has full-text access to an electronic copy via EBSCO. The MMY can be a tricky resource, but the new study guide will help you understand the online records.

The study guide also has citation examples for the Mental Measurements Yearbook. The editors of each edition vary, but do not worry because we have a citation example for every edition of the MMY. These examples will be useful to you as you write your works cited page.

The direct link to the Mental Measurements Yearbook study guide is: http://libguides.uhv.edu/MMY.

If you have any questions about using the Mental Measurements Yearbook via EBSCO or about the study guide, please Ask A Librarian.

The subjects included in the Oxford Reference Online are:

• Art & Architecture
• Bilingual Dictionaries
• Biological Sciences
• Classics
• Computing
• Earth & Environmental Sciences
• Economics & Business
• Encyclopedia
• English Dictionaries & Thesauruses
• English Language Reference
• Food & Drink
• History
• Law
• Literature
• Maps & Illustrations
• Medicine
• Military History
• Mythology & Folklore
• Names & Places
• Natural History
• Performing Arts
• Physical Sciences & Mathematics
• Politics & Social Sciences
• Pre-History
• Quotations
• Religion & Philosophy
• Science

The Oxford Reference Online is a great companion for research. It allows you to search by keyword, search by subject or search within an individual book. The Oxford Reference Online presents easy to read entries that allow basic understanding of a topic. The Oxford Reference Online can be accessed through our List of All Databases A to Z from the library homepage.

If you have questions about using the Oxford Reference Online, please contact the VC/UHV Librarian.

• Antique
• Thematic
• Outline
• Political
• Physical
• Earthquake
• Volcano
• Fire
• Hurricane
• Flood
• Plant & Animal Distribution…and more

In addition to maps, A to Z Maps Online also includes educational tools that can be used to teach others about geography. These resources include map puzzles, learning games, country and state flags, geography lesson plans and glossaries. This is great material for teaching young students about geography.

To access A to Z Maps Online, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the VC/UHV Library homepage at http://vcuhvlibrary.uhv.edu/
2. Click on the Geography link under the Start Research By Choosing a Subject Area Below heading
3. Click on the Reference Materials tab
4. Click on the A to Z Maps Online link
5. If you are off campus, you will be asked to enter your login information. This is the same username/password that is used to login to email and Blackboard
6. Select a category on the left side of the page to browse the maps and educational tools or searching for maps using the search box in the navagation bar

So if you need a map or flag, check out A to Z Maps Online instead of using Google. A to Z Maps online is full of wonderful, easy to use, free material.

If you have any questions about using A to Z Maps Online, please contact the VC/UHV Reference Librarian.

Perhaps one of the most interesting elements of Mergent Online is its international aspect. There is data on over 20,000 non-U.S. companies. In addition to providing information on individual companies, Mergent Online has a unique tool: the Country Profile. Users can choose from a list of countries to get a PDF file that provides an overview of the country. The profiles vary in length, but are at least 20 pages.

The Country Profile include information like

• Economic profiles
• Economic figures
• International trade statistics
• Foreign investment data
• Top industries
• Population statistics
• Communications data
• Transportation figures

One of the coolest features of STAT!Ref is MedCalc 3000. It includes unit & dose converters, a math calculator, equations, mulitcalcs, prediction & probability calculators, clinical criteria calculators, decision trees, a glossary of abbreviations & acronyms and specialty pages. If you are not sure where to look for the equation, calculator, or converter, MedCalc 3000 has a search function that allows you to type in keywords and search.  These calculators and converters allow you to “plug in” the numbers and MedCalc 3000 does the work for you.

To access MedCalc 3000 in STAT!Ref, follow these steps:

1. Go to the library homepage: http://vcuhvlibrary.uhv.edu/
2. Click on the Nursing/Medicine link under the “Start Research by Choosing a Subject Area Below” heading
3. Click on the “Reference Materials” tab
4. Click on the “STAT!Ref” clink
5. If you are off campus, you will be asked to enter your login information. This is the same username/password that is used to login to email and Blackboard
6. Once in STAT!Ref, click on the “Resources” tab
7. Click on the MedCalc 3000 link

If you have any questions about using STAT!Ref or MedCalc 3000, please contact the VC/UHV Reference Librarian.