Category Archives: Library Resources

Databases, Information literacy, Library Resources

How to take advantage of “open access”

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You may not always have access to the subscription databases in the NOVA library so you should take the opportunity to explore them while you are associated with the College. In addition, you might want to learn about the open repositories where you can search for authoritative material from credible sources.

The open-access movement

Publishers of journals charge for access to scholarly articles. They use those fees to support their publishing efforts, creating the databases and platforms to which the NOVA library subscribes. There exists an international movement to make access to scholarly publications more equitable – open to those without the means to pay for this access.

Open online access to scholarly publications and data allows individuals to read online, download, save, print, and share that material while remaining complying with legal intellectual property rights ownership agreements (e.g., copyright). The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) allows researchers lacking access to subscription databases to discover journals that are “open.” The directory indexes and provides access to 2033 high-quality, open-access, peer-reviewed journals across diverse disciplines. If you don’t know the name of a specific journal, you can search by subject on the DOAJ site.

Open repositories

One way that authors “open” their works is by depositing them in an open repository. Anyone can search for scholarly research in these repositories, provided they know they exist.

Some repositories concentrate on a single subject, such as RePEc: Research Papers in Economies. Others cover multiple disciplines. Table 1 describes the differences among some of the more popular open repositories.

Table 1. Selected open repositories

Repository Description
CORE (core.ac.uk) CORE (Connecting REpositories) “contains 298M open access articles collected from 11K data providers around the world.”
Dimensions (dimensions.ai) The linked research knowledge system contains 143 million publications. Coverage includes life sciences, social sciences, physical sciences, and health sciences.
Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) Web-based academic search engine covering multiple disciplines and sources (articles, theses, books) from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites.
Internet Archive Scholar (scholar.archive.org) “The fulltext search index includes over 35 million research articles and other scholarly documents… from digitized copies of eighteenth century journals through the latest Open Access conference proceedings and preprints crawled from the World Wide Web.”
OpenAlex (openalex.org) Indexes “over 250M scholarly works from 250k sources, with extra coverage of humanities, non-English languages, and the Global South.”
PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) “Comprises more than 37 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites.” PubMed Central “is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature in the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM).”
Semantic Scholar (semanticscholar.org) “Provides free, AI-driven search and discovery tools, and open resources for the global research community.” Indexes scientific literature: “Over 200 million academic papers sourced from publisher partnerships, data providers, and web crawls.” Academic publishers partnering with Semantic Scholar listed at https://semanticscholar.org/about/publishers.

Preprint servers

Scholarly articles are generally peer reviewed. The peer-review process takes time; preprint repositories allow users to read publications submitted for peer review and await formal publication in a journal. Some of these articles will require revision as they go through the peer review process, so watch for updated versions of the work.

As with open repositories, some encompass preprints in multiple disciplines while others focus on a single subject, such as ChemRxiv for unpublished preprints in chemistry.  A few of the most popular preprint servers include:

  • Social Science Research Network (ssrn.com) provides approximately 1.4 million preprints and research papers in 70 disciplines.
  • OSF preprints (osf.io/preprints) covers works on architecture, arts & humanities, business, education, engineering, law, life sciences, medicine & health sciences, physical sciences & mathematics, and social/behavioral science.
  • eLife (elifesciences.org/subjects) features preprints in life sciences and medicine.
  • ArXiv (arxiv.org) for nearly 2.4 million scholarly articles in physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics.
  • VeriXiv (verixiv.org) “publishes preprints of scholarly articles from all academic disciplines which report any basic scientific, translational, applied and clinical research (including quantitative and qualitative studies) that has been funded (or co-funded) by the Gates Foundation.”

The next time you must research a subject in preparation for writing an essay or term paper, consider trying one of these alternatives to subscription databases in the NOVA library. Getting accustomed to the differences in content and filtering options will improve your general research skills and prepare you for post-college research endeavors.

 

 

 

Copyright, Information literacy, Library Resources

It’s Fair Use Week (@FairUseWeek)

This week, February 20-24, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of #FairUseWeek. Fair use and fair dealing are essential concepts for students and educators to appreciate. Patent, trademark, and copyright laws protect intellectual property. If we were to prohibit the use of all intellectual property, there would be limited inventions, innovations, creativity, and scholarship.

So, how can you determine when you can legally use someone’s work without permission? Four factors should be considered when deciding whether fair use applies, as illustrated in the accompanying graphic.

Have you ever searched for an image using Google? In that case, you may have noticed that each image displayed is accompanied by a statement, “Images may be subject to copyright.” Click on “Learn More,” and Google takes you to a support page offering legal answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about copyright and fair use.

If you need clarification on whether using someone else’s work is permissible, ask how honest, fair-minded persons would handle the situation. Would reasonable persons agree with your approach? If not, here are a few guidelines to follow:

    • Consider whether you can pare a long quote and still be able to make your point in class.
    • Consider whether your use might have an impact on the interests of the copyright holder? For example, should you copy your entire textbook and share it with another student, or consider another route?
    • Fully acknowledge all sources. This is why its important to learn how to cite references correctly.

What is “fair use”?

As the Fair Use Week website reminds us: “Fair use and fair dealing are essential limitations and exceptions to copyright, allowing the use of copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright holder under certain circumstances.” These flexible doctrines allow “copyright to adapt to new technologies,” facilitating a balance in “copyright law, promoting further progress and accommodating freedom of speech and expression.”

Fair use allows students to quote portions of the work of others in their essays and term papers, instructors to play excerpts of videos in the classroom, and journalists to use snippets in news reports. The concept protects free speech while fulfilling one of the purposes of copyright: to promote creative expression.

To gain a better understanding of fair use as the term is applied in copyright law, and what fair use contributes to the economy, innovation, and creativity, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) created an infographic, Fair Use Fundamentals.

Celebrations this week

Celebrations designed to highlight and promote the opportunities presented by fair use and fair dealing, celebrate successful stories, and explain these doctrines are abundant. For example, on Thursday, February 23, you could choose to spend your lunch hour (well, 1,5 hours, from 12:00-1:30) attending the online/virtual event followed by a panel discussion sponsored by the Metropolitan New York Library Council and Library Futures, Why does copyright and fair use matter for libraries and librarians?

More on fair use

The Copyright Alliance has a series of short videos on its Trending Topics subsite about the fair use doctrine, the four fair use factors, common fair use mistakes, and how to apply fair use today. The webpage concludes with a set of links to fair use blogs + six cases that explore the bounds of fair use.

Many library associations and academic libraries feature LibGuides on copyright and fair use. Examples of these include:

NOVA Librarian Julie Combs manages a research guide on copyright and fair use to remind faculty about the importance of observing copyright law and understanding how the four factors of fair use might apply to their teaching and any research they conduct.

Test your knowledge

How much do you know about the Fair Use Doctrine? Test your knowledge at the University of Colorado Boulder Library by reviewing two examples of fair use or its interactive quiz, “Is it Fair Use? It Depends!”

Oregon State University’s Copyright and Fair Use resource guide includes a worksheet to help you decide if your use of someone’s copyrighted work is “fair use.”

Books, Databases, Library Resources, Literacy

Choosing to read (for pleasure)

How will you use the extended break between the fall 2022 and the spring 2023 semesters? This time can be used productively, preparing for coursework next semester, or learning a new language (try the Mango Languages database. NOVA librarians recommend that you choose to read for pleasure.

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Why read for pleasure

Research  frequently explores the positive effects of reading for pleasure for children and adolescents; fewer studies address the emotional, social, and psychological benefits derived by adults who regularly choose to read for pleasure. Adults attribute increased vocabulary and general knowledge, better text comprehension, improved grammar and writing abilities, and greater self-confidence to their regular reading habits. Beyond this, research  shows that reading reduces stress and relaxes. It’s why many doctors encourage adults to turn off their screens and curl up with a book to feel calm, reduce depressive thoughts, and get a well-earned rest at the end of the day. Also, reading can increase your empathy for others around you.

What to read

Choosing what to read can be daunting, but there are places to turn that can assist you. During the fall of each year, various organizations announce the authors winning awards for their work, including:

  • The Nobel Prize for Literature is arguably the most prestigious of annual awards.  
  • The Booker Prize for the best novel published in English and published in the UK or Ireland is better known for the “shortlist” of books announced to be in contention for the annual award.
  • The National Book Foundation awards is the premier American prize recognizing literary excellence.

Various institutions use the possibility of gifting books at Christmastime to announce lists of the “best” books of the year. Each organization has its own way of selecting what’s “best” or otherwise limiting their choices by subject. For example:

  • Libraries rely on Publishers Weekly for announcements of publications they should include on their shelves. The publication compiles a list each year, so check out their list of the top 10 in each category (fiction, mystery/thriller, poetry, romance, SciFi/fantasy/horror, comics, nonfiction, religion, etc.).
  • Throughout the year, the New York Times publishes lists of the best-selling books of the week in their weekly Book Review section.  On November 29, the Times will announce their annual 10 Best Books in two categories (fiction and nonfiction) plus 100 Notable Books of 2022.
  • The Washington Post’s selection of the “top ten.”
  • Lifelong learning site Headway Media has a blog for books categorized in unusual ways: Best books for men to read, CEOs, Strategy books, self-improvement, building confidence. Surely one of the many lists will interest NOVA students.
  • The New Yorker
  • NPR (formerly known as National Public Radio) compiles lists of books by subject, including comics/graphic novels, art, history, music, sports, historical fiction, love stories, mysteries/thrillers, nonfiction, SciFi/fantasy, science, short stories/essays/poetry, young adult, and more. If you’re still undecided about what to read, the NPR book review team polls the organization’s staff for their recommendations. Surely, one title will be perfect for you!

The NOVA librarians use these lists to verify their selection of books acquired throughout the year, so you’ll find many of these titles on our shelves already. If you’re still uncertain, check with a Reference Librarian on your campus for advice!

Editor’s Note: For additional ideas about “best books” or “great reads,” check out last December’s blog, How to find a book to read. 

What books are you reading during inter-session?

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Databases, Information literacy, Library Resources

Assuring diversity of expertise

Instructors frequently ask students to consult scholarly publications to ensure they tap into the best minds available in each subject domain. Sometimes, this limits diversity of opinion. If your native language is not English or you reside in the Global South, the hurdles of getting published in top academic journals are difficult to overcome. There are, however, several websites and databases that actively see to include diverse perspectives and alternative viewpoints. For example:

Resources in our library

As Lisa Peet noted in her 2021 March 18 Library Journal article, Ithaka Library Director Survey on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Antiracism Reveals Disconnects, libraries are reassessing “their perspectives and strategies around diversity, equity, inclusion (EDI), and racism.” The NOVA libraries are no exception. Two databases in our collection stand out:

  • ProQuest’s Ethnic NewsWatch includes newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press.
  • EBSCO’s LGBTQ+ Source database includes journals, newspapers, and books about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and allied subject matter.

NOVA’s Antiracism LibGuide helps students explore the history and conditions that led to the unrest of 2020 through books/e-books, articles, videos, and podcasts. The section of the LibGuide devoted to Tools for Taking Action provides a roadmap for those in the NOVA Community wishing to get involved.

Recommendations for faculty

To expand the range of non-white perspectives assigned to students, instructors might review the syllabi of courses taught at Tribal Colleges and Universities and Historically Black Colleges to see which texts assigned for courses similar to the ones they are teaching.

Books, Databases, Library Resources

How to find a book to read

Students are assigned textbooks and other reading for their courses, but sometimes you just want a good book to read. It could be a recently published novel, or you might be working your way through a “Great Books” list. Here are some ways you can find a book in almost any genre you desire.

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End-of-year wrap-ups

Many newspapers and magazines use the end of the year as an excuse – as if they needed one – to publish their “must read” lists or the Best Books of <insert year here>. While NPR releases news about books, book reviews, and interviews with authors throughout the year but handpicks great reads each year.

The New York Times also publishes book reviews throughout the year. Each November, the paper releases its list of 100 Notable Books, followed by a live event identifying the 10 Best Books of <YEAR> selected from that list.

Publications issuing annual “best book” lists are terrific sources of inciteful book reviews throughout the year. Some of my favorites include:

Watching an interview with an author is another way to determine whether a book might interest you. Fresh Fiction can help you identify books and authors featured in national media. In addition to occasional appearances by an author on a newscast, authors are interviewed regularly on BookTV .

If you’re unsure whether you’d like a book and want to read a selection before you purchase the title (or visit the library to borrow it), you might consult BookSpot First Chapters. Don’t forget to use the left-hand navigation bar to identify other resources for book reviews and awards by genre.

Literary prize winners (and runner ups)

You might also turn to entities that award prizes to authors for their works each year. Don’t limit your search to the “winners” of this year or prior years’ as the finalists can sometimes be even better. Here are a few of the entities awarding authors for their works:

  • The Pulitzer Prize for Books includes fictional works, history, biography, poetry, and general non-fiction.
  • The Man Booker Prize is awarded to the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
  • The National Book Foundation celebrates American literature with its National Book Awards.
  • Each year, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English (in the USA) in six categories: Fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography, poetry, and criticism.

Goodreads.com encourages browsing for titles by genre, such as biography, classics, fiction, graphic novels, historical fiction, horror, memoir, nonfiction, romance, science fiction, thriller, and travel. There is also a list of Goodreads Choice Awards for the year’s best books in each genre. Then there’s Kobo with its best books, eBooks and audiobooks that define the year.

Book club choices

Book club online discussion groups are a great resource for finding new titles to read and assessing how others have enjoyed them. Some even include guides for conducting group discussions about the book that can be helpful for thoughtful readers. From FreeBookNotes, you’ll be able to link to study guides from SparkNotes, CliffNotes, BookRags, and more to help you understand the book you’ve selected to read.

Book review sites consulted by booksellers and librarians

Detailed abstracts, book summaries, or even a sample chapter may be available on:

  • AllReaders.com, featuring detailed book reviews from many genres, including science-fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and more.
  • BookBrowse.com includes reviews, previews, “behind the book” backstories, author interviews, and research guides. Click the Read-Alikes tab in the top navigation bar. If you find a book you like, the editors will suggest books you are probably going to like equally as well.
  • BookPage.com contains book reviews and author interviews.
  • The Complete Review (complete-review.com) highlights “books in the news,” books “most worthy of your attention,” and foreign books not yet translated into English.
  • Curled Up with a Good Book (curledup.com) includes reviews of fiction and non-fiction books, romance, sci-fi/fantasy, graphic novels, and audiobooks.
  • Jellybooks.com lets you download 10% of the text before purchase.
  • Shelf Awareness (shelf-awareness.com) is a twice-weekly e-newsletter containing detailed abstracts and reviews of 25 recommended titles scheduled for release that week.
  • Ron Hogan’s blog (Beatrice.com/wordpress) often features new authors.
  • Track New Book (tracknewbook.com) helps you find new books related to the websites you visit, sending you an email as new books are published by authors you track (discovery.tracknewbook.com).
  • Lovereading UK (lovereading.co.uk) has online tools to help you choose your next read. The free membership site includes 10-15 page opening extracts and samples of audiobooks. Personalized newsletters cover the latest book recommendations in fiction and non-fiction.
  • Gnooks (gnooks.com) uses a Gnod engine to learn what an individual might like to read. Enter three authors you like and Gnooks will suggest what you should read next.
  • Complete the statement, “I’ve just finished reading __________ by _______” and The Book Seer (bookseer.com) will supply the answer.
  • WhichBook (openingthenbook.com/whichbook) offers choices based on mood/emotion, plot shape, type of main character (by age, race, gender), or country in which the book is set.
  • FictionDB (fictionDB.com) has extensive author bibliographies for the authors you like and want to read. You can even set up a “wish list” for future reading

Finding book reviews using online databases available at NOVA Libraries

NOVA students can access book reviews published in major newspapers and magazines. Use the “Find Journal” link on the library homepage and type the title of the work you seek. For example, the New York Times Book Review. Another tab will open featuring the databases where this title is available, including ProQuest Global Newsstream, for example.

EBSCO Academic Search Complete databases includes journals and magazines with book reviews. To find them, use the Advanced Search page; under Document Type, choose Book Reviews.

Two databases in the NOVA Libraries that specialize in literature are the GALE Literary Index and JSTOR. To reach these titles, begin on the library homepage and click All Databases (A-Z):

  • Click “G” and select GALE Databases; then click the link to GALE Literary Index and begin your search.
  • Click “J” and select JSTOR. To find book reviews, use the Advanced Search page. Type the title of a book or keyword and Narrow Your Search, Item = Review.

Have you got a favorite way of finding books to read? Use the Comments section to let us know.

Databases, Library Resources

Check out the databases on trial in the library and let us know whether we should subscribe!

When conducting research before writing an essay or term paper, you may begin at our A-Z list of all databases available through the NOVA libraries. Scroll down and look at the right-hand side of the page to see the databases that we’re considering as future purchases. Try them out and let us know what you think!

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Magazines

We had to limit access to our current magazine shelves during the pandemic. In the past, students would browse the shelves and flip through current issues of all sorts of titles, ranging from Bloomberg Businessweek to Vogue. On trial now is EBSCO’s digital newsstand, Flipster, where you can read the latest issues of digital magazines that would be behind a firewall if you tried to access them through their individual title or publishers’ websites. Browse any of the 19 categories, from Art & Design to Travel.

Magazines are an excellent way for students to read news stories with a bit more context. The articles encountered might give you a clue as to an interesting topic for your next writing assignment. However, you can find all sorts of titles in this database, from Bon Appetit to Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics to Vanity Fair.

Films Video

Videos

The NOVA libraries subscribe to several video collections:

Academic Video Online

American History in Video

Docuseek Streaming Video

ICE Video Library

Kanopy Videos

PBS Videos Online

Sage Streaming Video

Swank Digital Campus

You may already be familiar with the educational videos available in the Films on Demand database. On trial now is Films on Demand – Feature Films for Education. Instructors may choose to assign a title for their students to watch from genres such as Biography, Drama, and Literary Adaptation. However, there’s no reason why you couldn’t look for your favorite Action or Adventure film. If you’ve got children or younger siblings, explore the Animated films in this database. And that’s just the first letter of the alphabet!

Digital Theatre Plus can supplement the teaching of Shakespeare, but you may be inclined to explore the Broadway Digital Archive that is part of this collection.

Horticulture

Horticulture

Those studying horticulture will know of the library’s horticulture research guide. We’re now evaluating a new Gale Gardening and Horticulture database. The look-and-feel of the interface should be familiar to anyone who’s used other Gale databases in our collection, such as Opposing Viewpoints. Let us know if you think that this Gardening & Horticulture database would be of value for your studies!

Tell us what you think!

 

Information literacy, Library Resources

April is Financial Literacy Month

You may have heard librarians talk about information literacy or perhaps media literacy (“fake news”) during library instruction sessions. Through the past year you may have discovered a “new” need to focus on health or financial literacy. As April is Financial Literacy Month, we thought we’d help you apply what you’ve learned from us about information literacy to the realm of finance.

Literacies
Important literacies to master

What is financial literacy?

According to the Center for Financial Inclusion, “financial literacy is the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage one’s financial resources effectively for lifetime financial security.” NOVA students may think about finances when it comes time to fill out financial aid forms, but financial literacy is an essential skill to build and exercise throughout your life. Some of the new fintech and neobanks make it easier than ever to make good financial decisions for saving and investing, prompting users to remember to save through digital savings apps, budget planning and spending tracking, monitoring credit and paying down debt.

Sifting for financial literacy

When seeking financial guidance, try using the SIFT method:

STOP 

When you’re looking at a website or other source of information, STOP and start with a plan. Consider what you want to know and the purpose of your current inquiry. Where is this information likely to be found? Who might have looked into this before?

Think about the site you are viewing, who made it, and why. Is this the best resource to tap? Can you gauge their expertise in this area by reviewing their academic and professional credentials? Usually, a quick check is enough, but sometimes you’ll want a deep investigation to verify all claims made and check all the sources.

Investigate the source

Know the author’s expertise and the motives of the publisher of the information so that you can interpret it free of bias. Verify the information by seeing what others have to say about the source. Do other sites/resources concur?

A fact-checking site may help. Snopes and AllSides might be familiar to some; as journalists often need to verify their sources, you could look at the Society of Professional Journalist’s Toolbox and employ some of their tactics. Just as there are political fact-checkers, such as FactCheck.org and Truth or Fiction, there are fact-checkers for financial sites too, including the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Read carefully and consider while you click. Rather than reading one article to the end, open multiple tabs for lateral reading.

Find trusted coverage

Look for the best information on a topic by scanning multiple sources. Find an in-depth analysis and read multiple viewpoints. Don’t forget to look beyond the first few results returned from your search, bypassing the ads that appear at the top of many Google searches. (You can avoid this by using The MarkUp’s extension for Firefox and Chrome Browsers, Simple Search, that eliminates the extraneous material that crowds that first page of results returned in a Google or Bing search.)

Trace to the original

Don’t consider claims or quotes as gospel; trace them back to the original source to be sure that individuals have been quoted accurately and in context.  Think about what might have been clipped out of a story, a photo, or video. What might have happened just before or after? When a research paper is mentioned in a news story, go to the original document to be sure that the study has been accurately reported. Find the original source to see the context so you can decide if the version you have is accurately presented.  For example, if you’re consulting Wikipedia, scroll down to the references, using the links to view to the original.

If you are interested in learning more about the SIFT method, check out 2019 Mike Caufield’s blog, SIFT (The Four Moves) or his YouTube video series, Online Verification Skills. 

Gamification of financial literacy

Financial educators recognize the importance of gaming apps that are designed to help consumers understand the ins and outs of financial investing. Troutwood.com was founded at Carnegie Mellon University’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. The website has a translator of financial terms into plain English, a podcast, and goal-setting challenges for those seeking an understanding of student loans, the S&P 500, auto loans, credit cards, Roth IRAs, and 401Ks. The site features three simulators: Time Portal (timeportal.troutwood.com), Stock Market (troutwood.com/sp500-calculator.html), and Crisis Calculator (troutwood.com/crisis-calculator). Try them out – or look for the Troutwood app in the Apple store where you’ll find a great Buy Sell Hold simulation.

Additional resources

To get you started on your financial learning program, here are additional resources to explore:

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has a website (360financialliteracy.org) designed to help you understand personal finance.

CashCourse.org provides free online financial education courses through instructor assignments or self-study; customizable financial worksheets, a budget wizard, quizzes, and calculators; a personal dashboard for tracking your progress; articles/resources; and a guide to real-life money questions.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) contains educational resources to help consumers make better, more informed financial decisions.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) website employs game-based learning in their computer-based instruction tool, Money Smart. Modules help adults learn how to better manage their finances. All modules are available in English and Spanish.

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Consumer Information website features a blog and resources about saving/spending money wisely, credit/debt, housing, and work/school.

Khan Academy has a series of Personal Finance life skill advice and resources to guide users into making better decisions.

Congress established a Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission in 2003. The Commission’s website, MyMoney.gov, features information, games, and fun facts about money, saving, and planning for the future. Lesson plans on the site serve as a resource of federally-funded research reports and articles on financial topics.

FINNY creates bite-sized, personalized learning opportunities covering any topic that might interest you: budgeting, saving more, managing taxes, insurance, investing, and more.

PracticalMoneySkills.com is chock full of resources for learning about topics such as evaluating your finances and understanding credit. It includes resources for teaching children about finance too.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has gathered resources on Investor.gov to help individuals “make sound investment decisions and avoid fraud.”

SmartAboutMoney.org has free online courses for learning at your own pace, on your own time. Topics are timely, such as crisis and fraud, education and career, family and finances, holidays and money, housing and transportation, insurance and taxes, retirement and aging, saving and investing, spending and borrowing.

A Wharton faculty podcast Ripple Effect episode focused on financial literacy for teens, discussing “healthcare debt and bankruptcy, AI in financial advising, and why financial literacy education should be lifelong.”

Look for college business school courses that have developed websites for financial literacy education, such as Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy. Several academic libraries, eager to support their instructors and students, have developed LibGuides on the subject. Find one on the web that meets your needs.

 

 

Fun, Library Resources

Welcome to Sunshine Week 2021!

Sunshine Week is a celebration of the public’s right to see U.S. government records. Initiated in 2005, Sunshine Week features events sponsored by groups interested in the public’s right to know about its government, including government agencies, news organizations, universities, and libraries. These public events are designed to raise awareness about how important openness and transparency in government are for a democratic society. This year, Sunshine Week is celebrated the week of March 14-20, encompassing the March 16 birthday of James Madison, known as the “father of the Bill of Rights.”

Sunshine Week events

A Sunshine Week events calendar describes each event, date and time, and how to register or join. For example:

  • On March 15, Open the Government will host a panel discussion of the Trump Presidential Library and records, “What Presidents Do to Keep Us from Knowing What Presidents Do.”
  • Also on March 15 is the New England First Amendment Coalition online webinar, “Keeping the Light On: Holding Government Accountable,” examining “the values of open and responsive government and how all citizens play a role.”
  • The News Leaders Association webinar on March 18 features a discussion by journalists “on how they navigated barriers to public records to tell important stories about COVID-19, official misconduct and beyond.”
  • Join the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition on March 18 for an online discussion, “Truth Be Told: The Proliferation of Online Misinformation and Disinformation — And What We Can Do About It.” Sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/truth-be-told-tickets-143849839743
  • The DC Open Government Coalition is holding a webinar on Thursday afternoon, March 18. The full schedule is on their website. There are three panels exploring the laws about open data, meetings and records; education data; and accessing the state of access to D.C. records and agency compliance with public requests.

Federal agencies often celebrate Sunshine Week. This year, the events are virtual, including:

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) celebrated Sunshine Week by introducing a bill (H.R. 1929) to update the Presidential Records Preservation Act of 1978, assuring that good records management practices are applied to electronic messages.

Open Data Day

In actuality, the celebrations begin on Saturday, March 6, with Open Data Day, a global effort to bring together individuals interested in increasing access to information online. There are many online events this year, headquartered in the United States and abroad. Search for events in which you might wish to participate at https://opendataday.org/events/2021/.

NOVA students are informed citizens

Students should understand what information is available from the government and how to gain access to it. Participating in a Sunshine Week event might be your first step in discovering what to do when obstacles are in your way.

Watch this space throughout Sunshine Week (#SunshineWeek) for more about openness and transparency in government!

Library Resources

Working From Home (wfh)

For the foreseeable future, many of us will be working from home (wfh). Resources can help those unsure of what may await us as remote workers, including books. NOVA librarians have searched the library catalog for titles that might ease the path. All are available as eBooks, so while our physical libraries are closed, check out these titles:

In 2011, Knowledge@Wharton created a podcast, From Freelancers to Telecommuters: Succeeding in the New World of Solitary Work. For advice as you make the transition from working in an office along with colleagues, listen to the podcast or read the transcript.

Assisting Faculty

NOVA has done an admirable job in supporting faculty as we transition to online instruction. Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education have been providing practical guidance applicable to the novice online instructor as well as those who’ve been teaching online for a while. Our top choices for reading this month include Going Online in a Hurry: What to Do and Where to Start by Michelle D. Miller, and So You Want to Temporarily Teach Online by Stephanie Moore and Charles B. Hodges.

For Students

NOVA’s Bookstores have joined with VitalSource, an online digital textbook vendor. This means that NOVA students will have free access to textbooks available through VitalSource through the Spring 2020 term. Students can register here using their NOVA email address (there is a link at the bottom to create a VitalSource account). Once you gain access, explore VitalSource’s Bookshelf to check if your assigned textbook is available, and voila!

As learning shifts online, even the best of students, accustomed to learning in a physical classroom with an instructor present, can feel unsure how to proceed. Coursera has been offering courses to students online since 2011. In response to Covid-19, their learning community has compiled a list of tips for first-time online learners, beginning with setting daily study goals and creating a dedicated study space. For elaboration on these and other tips, click here.

Podcasts

Podcasts are a great resource for learning as well as entertainment. As we cope with tech resets in our wfh environment, take a listen to PwC-UK’s s A-Z of Tech podcast series. The latest episode (12), K is for kids, covers how to “teach children about their digital rights and protect them from online harms.” Subscribe to the series in iTunes, SoundCloud, Acast, or Spotify.

Speaking of Children

Time and Newsweek were once the go-to weeklies for news coverage. TIME for Kids is now available in four grade-specific digital editions (K-1, G2, G3-4, and G5-6). There is even a website for teachers and parents with teaching materials for the lessons. Also, on the site is an archive of their financial literacy monthly magazine designed to help children learn about managing money on an age-appropriate level.

There have been many technology resource lists compiled in recent days. TechforLearners.org offers free grade-specific tech lessons curated from a wide range of education tech organizations. Users can specify the grade level in which they are interested (PK-5, 6-8, 9-12, higher ed, workforce) and content (e.g., math, science, reading, writing, social studies).

Return to this blog soon for additional resources to make you a successful educator, student, and worker-from-home.

Library Resources

Finally, a Coronavirus-less message from your library!

Now that many of us have spent at least a week at home getting acclimated to remote learning, it’s time to breathe again. Why not look at the coming weeks as an opportunity to read that book you’ve always wanted to tackle? Although you can’t come to the library on campus to roam the stacks seeking a physical book to borrow, you can visit our library virtually. Search in “Books & eBooks” and look for ways to limit to “full text online,” or see How to Find and Download eBooks for a comprehensive list of all the databases offering eBooks to the NOVA community. For those who want to listen to a book rather than read it, explore the audio books available online in Overdrive Audio.

If you’ve been spending too much time binging on Netflix, how about trying a documentary for a change? You can access thousands of movies through the college’s access to Kanopy. Explore Kanopy and other free online video collections linked in the library’s Guide to Streaming Video.

Finally, think of these weeks as a concentrated time period to learn a new language. There are over 70 languages to choose from in Mango. You can start learning a language as a novice; for most languages, that would mean Chapter 1, Small talk. If what you need is a language “refresher,” just jump right in and explore the listening and reading activities available for the language(s) you already speak. Your myNOVA login (email address/password) will get you remote access to these databases.

In the coming weeks, we’ll keep this blog active with additional learning opportunities that support your formal coursework. If you’ve been curious about how to do something in the library, learning the ins-and-outs of a particular database, or identifying tools for safe exploration of the web, send a request to LO-library@nvcc.edu and we’ll try to cover the topic in upcoming blog posts. In the meantime, stay healthy!