Today’s libraries are more than just books. Increasingly, they are places of creativity where people can meet to share a hobby, use a 3D printer, edit a video, or use software to record their own music. Libraries offer access to the tools and technology essential to the economic and cultural lives of their communities.

Help us demonstrate the Unlimited possibilities available @ your library by sharing what the library has helped you to create.

Did you research or write your book, learn how to make a hand-knitted scarf or culinary creation? Have you used the library’s 3D printer or produced a video? Did the library help you find a new job or get your small business off the ground? Or perhaps the library’s homework help service made a difference in your child’s last report card.

Join in the fun. Promotion begins Monday April 13 at noon CT and ends Friday, April 17 at noon CT.

Share a photo or link to your creation on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #librarymade for the chance to win a $100 gift certificate to Maker Shed or Amazon. Photos can also be added to our Unlimited possibilities Flickr group. If 140 characters isn’t enough, add your story to the collection here on the I Love Libraries website.

Follow the fun during National Library Week on the #LibraryMade Hashtag Wall.”¹

Official Rules: http://ilovelibraries.org/librarymade. Take a look at some of the things you can learn from NOVA’s libraries: http://blogs.nvcc.edu/elife/2014/12/23/hobby/. Have fun and good luck!

1. Text from http://ilovelibraries.org/librarymade

Did you know that NOVA Libraries gives you access to thousands of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles that are housed in over 100 databases? The good news is it’s pretty likely that we have information on the subject you are researching. The bad news? It could be a little overwhelming.

This short 5 minute video will introduce you to library databases and give you some search tips.

NOVA Online-Searching Library Databases

And, as always, if you need help finding information or using any library resources, we’re here to help. E-mail your NOVA Online Library staff at NOVA Online-Library@nvcc.edu.

Otis Boykin: inventor of a control unit for the pacemaker

Yesterday, Professor Pool offered some great resources for understanding slavery in the United States. In celebration of black history month, the library would also like to recommend some resources to learn more about black American history and culture.

The Songs Are Free: Bernice Johnson Reagon and African-American Music – This is a video about the history of African American music and includes performances by Bernice Johnson Reagon.

Prelude and First Curtains: African Grove Theater – Offers a glimpse in to the history of  Africa- American theater in America.

Women’s Work : An Anthology of African-American Women’s Historical Writings From Antebellum America to the Harlem Renaissance – an eBook that “… aims to bring together writings by African-American women between 1832 and 1920, the period when they began to write for American audiences and to use history to comment on political and social issues of the day.” -from worldcat.org

You can view these and more at the library’s homepage (http://www.nvcc.edu/academics/library). You just need your myNOVA username and password. If you have questions, please contact us at NOVA Online-Library@nvcc.edu. #Blackhistorymonth

  -"Duty Calls" by Randall Munroe
             

We regularly hear about the harassment and bullying that occurs within social media. In fact, a Pew research study has found that “60% of internet users said they had witnessed someone being called offensive names.”  So what can you do to make the internet a safer place?

from safaribooksonline.com

The book “Civility in the Digital Age: How Companies and People can Triumph Over Haters, Trolls, Bullies, and Other Jerks” by Andrea Weckerle offers great advice for handling conflict over the web.

The author offers a “30-Day Action Plan for restoring civility to your corner of the digital world.”¹ Here’s some of what you will learn:

• “Master the foundational skills you need to resolve and prevent conflict online
• Stay cool and effectively manage conflict in even the highest-pressure online environments
• Differentiate between what people say and what they really want
• Create a positive online footprint—or start cleaning up a negative image
• Recognize online troublemakers and strategize ways to handle them
• Manage your own anger—and, when necessary, express it online safely and productively
• Strategically manage others’ online hostility and frustration”¹

Interested in learning more? Visit NOVA library’s website (http://www.nvcc.edu/academics/library) to read this e-book and to find other resources on the topic. As always, if you need assistance please contact the NOVA Online library at NOVA Online-Library@nvcc.edu.

#DigitalCivility

 1. Excerpted from safaribooksonline.com

Each month at NOVA Online, we will recommend smart phone/tablet apps that are helpful for your studies at NOVA Online (and beyond). NOVA has already compiled a list of useful apps by platform. Here are some of the library’s favorites:

	Easily access your NOVA blackboard account on the go.
	Keep track of homework, projects, schedules, and sync to all devices.
	Mobile and online flashcards

Check NOVA Online regularly so you don’t miss the next post on recommended apps. Don’t be left out of the loop!

The 5 W’s to Determine Good Information:

Although this is simplified, asking the following 5 questions will help you determine whether the information you are using is good information or bad information. If someone is providing good information you should be able to answer all 5 questions. If you can’t answer one of the questions or the answer you get isn’t satisfactory, it might not be good information to use.

1. WHO – Who wrote or published the information? Is it someone you have heard of? Is it an organization that you are familiar with?

2. WHAT – What are the author’s credentials? Are they clear about their experience in the subject and how they relates to the topic they are writing on?

3. WHEN – When was the information published? Is it the type of information that changes overtime (Think: Medical Information)? Or is it the type of information that stays the same (Think: History)?

4. WHERE – Where did the author get their information? Are they properly citing their sources? Are they clear on where their facts, statistics, graphs, etc. are coming from?

5. WHY – Why are they publishing this information? What is the author’s motivation? Are they showing a bias?

Need more help deciding if the information you’ve found on the web is appropriate for academic work? Contact the library at NOVA Online-Library@nvcc.edu. Happy Searching!

This Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, learn more about Dr. King and his legacy.

Here is a landmark interview with Dr. King filmed in 1957:

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Look Here

We also recommend this e-book for more information:

Becoming King : Martin Luther King, Jr. And the Making of a National Leader

To access these items, use your myNOVA username and password when prompted. For more resources on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, please visit the library’s website or contact us at NOVA Online-Library@nvcc.edu.