Use the Library Classroom for a Meeting!

Need a place to meet?  The recently upgraded Library classroom is available this summer to faculty or staff who want a fresh new setting for a meeting or workshop.

Please call the Reference Desk at 312-369-7153 or use our ASK US email service to request your time.  Be sure to include your name and contact information and the group that will be meeting.

Classroom includes:

• White boards and markers
• Seating for from 2 to 25 people
• Movable desks that can be arranged in any configuration
• A computer, projection screen, speakers and WiFi access.

World Cup Fever!

Have you  been glued to ESPN for three weeks watching soccer matches? It must be the World Cup!

Whether you're a die-hard or fair-weather fan, if you crave more soccer try some of these:

Brick-by-brick: 
Animated reconstructions of World Cup moments

The Game and the People: 
Learn more about soccer's origins in Brasil with this digital collection.

Every World Cup goal: 
An interactive display of every goal scored during a World Cup since 1930.


There are also some great videos to get you pumped up for the next match, including this one:




Plus plenty of books and online resources to keep you entertained:


Follow CCC's board World Cup on Pinterest.


So say it with us, "I believe that we will win!"

Bike to Work Week - June 13-20, 2014

In honor of Bike To Work Week we've put together some resources on cycling:

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Archives on Flickr Commons

Biking Around Chicago:

• City of Chicago Bike Maps
• Chicago Online Bike Map & Trip Planner
• Protected & Buffered Bike Lanes - Active Transportation Alliance and CDOT
• Maps and Route Tools - Chainlink: A Chicago Bicycling Online Community

Photo courtesy of State Library Queensland on Flickr Commons

Bike to Work Week

• Bike Commuter Challenge
• City of Chicago Bike Week Events & Partnerships
• Bike to Work & Bikes on Transit - Active Transportation Alliance
• Bike to Work Week Events - Higher Gear Chicago

Photo courtesy of  Nationaal Archief on Flickr Commons

A round-up of Library resources on bicycling from our collection on Pinterest: Follow CCC Library's board Bicycling on Pinterest.

Short Story Month

May is National Short Story Month!

Nishant Choksi

The short story is often overlooked in favor of the novel. As Steven Millhauser says in his New York Times essay:

"The short story — how modest in bearing! How unassuming in manner! It sits there quietly, eyes lowered, almost as if trying not to be noticed. And if it should somehow attract your attention, it says quickly, in a brave little self-deprecating voice alive to all the possibilities of disappointment: 'I’m not a novel, you know. Not even a short one. If that’s what you’re looking for, you don’t want me.'" 

Oh, but we do want you!

As people consume more and more media on iPhones and other small screens, it seems that the short story is poised for a renaissance. And in a time crunched world, short fiction provides the pleasure of a novel without the commitment.

So check out some of the short story collections we have in the library:
 
Follow CCC's board Short Stories on Pinterest.

And try these online resources too!

Celebrating National Short Story Month

Short Stories to Savor

ShortStoryMonth.com

#shortreads

But for now, we'll leave you with this famous little story which has inspired the six word story movement:

"For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn." - Ernest Hemingway

Congratuations to our Graduating Library Student Assistants!

The Columbia College Chicago Library staff wish the very best to our 2014 graduating student assistants!  We appreciate them and the outstanding work they have done for us. Congratulations to all of you, and best wishes on your future endeavors!


Access Services
Jordan Berry, Journalism
Walt Schaffield, Art & Design
Sarah Stanley, Fiction Writing
Felix Ofosu-Yeboah, Cinema Art and Science

Community Engagement and Special Initiatives
Alida Banh, Arts, Entertainment and Media Management 

Reference/Interlibrary Loan
Amy Barger, Photography

Need a diversion you can still call an academic pursuit? -- Underground Comix and Graphic Novels

Need a little relief from the end-of-semester crush?

Take a peek at the Underground & Independent Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels database



A treasure trove of alternative comics from the 1960s to today.



More than 100,000 pages including:
75,000 pages of primary materials (the comics themselves).
25,000 pages of interviews, commentary, theory, and criticism—from The Comics Journal and other publications.

It's a Library database:  CHECK IT OUT!  Underground & Independent Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels

Questions? 
http://ask.colum.edu
 (We promise not to laugh.)

Less stress, please!

Semester's end is fast approaching. Got a million things to do?  Follow this path for a less stressed arrival!














First, eat a balanced breakfast!

                                                         
Then, make a...

 

                                                    
 
Use colorful sticky notes to highlight points you need
 to remember. 



   

During the day, make time for a walk...


or a dance...with a friend, even. You'll look, think and feel better!

Be sure to wear the right colors. Studies show that blue can promote calmness.

 Journalize thoughts about
that upcoming summer vacation
then gently guide yourself
back to business.

                           


Take
a nap
if you
need to...
but keep
it
short!




Review your To-do List right before bed to ease concerns and smooth the way to sleep!

And if you need help with those pesky papers, come see us!

Lynda.Com and Safari Tech Books Online - A Winning Combination

Did you know that Columbia College students, faculty and staff have access to over 2,500 courses and 116,000 individual videos available from lynda.com absolutely free of charge?  And you have access to over 27,291 e-Books available through Safari Books Online?  So learn new technology, get answers to tricky homework questions or just browse for fun all from the comfort of your home, dorm room or commuter pod.

To access classes at lynda.com simply go to the Columbia College Access Lynda Page.  Students can log in using their OASIS ID.  Faculty and staff log in with the Network ID.  Safari Tech Books can be accessed here .

Some of the new classes available for you to try at lynda.com include:

Job Hunting Online:  Find your next job online! First, get clear on your objectives, and then discover how to use popular job hunting and networking sites such as LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Monster, Simply Hired, and Glassdoor to locate jobs. Discover how to take advantage of each site's tools for job hunters and learn how to interact with hiring managers and recruiters.  Then take a quick workshop on applying for a job—from finding the ad to researching the company, tailoring your resume and cover letter, and submitting the application.
Safari Tech Books:  Job Hunting 3.0,  Ultimate Job Search

Shooting with the IPhone 5s:  The iPhone has become one of the most popular cameras in the world, and the iPhone 5s offers the best image quality of any iPhone to date. It is also filled with advanced features: two flashes, built-in high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, a burst mode, and a video mode that shoots 120 frames per second slow motion.  In this course, photographer, author, and educator Ben Long explores the iPhone 5s as a serious photographic instrument, using its built-in features as well as a hand-selected collection of accessories and apps that will extend your iPhone power. He details the basics of shooting with the iPhone, and then delves into more advanced camera capabilities such as panoramas, HDR, and video. Ben also explores workflow issues, including editing, sharing, and printing photos and transferring them to a computer.
Safari Tech Books: Capturing Better Photos and Video with your iPhone, iPhone Photography and Video for Dummies

Songwriting in Pro Tools:  Everyone writes songs in their own way. Some start with a melody or a beat, some start with a lyric. Whatever your starting point, you need to get your ideas down quickly, and then polish them into demos worth presenting to partners, producers, and record labels. Pro Tools can help. It's one of the programs professional musicians and songwriters turn to for writing, recording, and mixing songs. In this short course, David Franz takes you from an initial seed-idea to a great sounding demo song, showing you how to find the best tempo, meter, and key; add in vocals, drums, and hooks; and put together a dynamic mix using effects like EQ, compression, and reverb and delay. These 10 simple steps can guide anyone with an idea and a little musical ability through the process of capturing a song idea before the inspiration fades.
Safari Tech Books:  Pro Tools 101, Pro Tools for Dummies

Check out these classes and much more at lynda.com and Safari Tech Books!

Happy 450th Birthday William Shakespeare!

William Shakespeare was born (baptized April 26, 1564) and died (April 23, 1616) in the month of April.

Do you need books that analyze and interpret Shakespeare's work?  Looking for copy of one (or all) of his plays or sonnets? Have a hankering to watch a film adaptation of one of the bard's classics?  The library has you covered!

Follow CCC Library's board Shakespeare on Pinterest.

Follow CCC Library's board Shakespeare Film Adaptations on Pinterest.

We've also rounded up some infographics to help you understand the plots, characters and skewering insults! (Personal favorite: "he has not so much brain as ear-wax" - Troilus & Cressida)

Shakespeare Characters A-Z

Anatomy of a Scene PBS - A Midsummer Night's Dream 

Infographic of the tragedies.  (Spoiler alert: everybody dies.)

A Grand Taxonomy of Shakespearean Insults

There are many more Shakespearean resources out there - including 50 everyday phrases attributed to the Bard and 45 Hamlets from stage and screen.  And with that, "give me now leave, to leave thee." - Twelfth Night. 

And the winner is...

The World
United States Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day in 1970 and it grew to the point where the United Nations adopted a consensus resolution designating April 22nd as the International Mother Earth Day. As an item on the international calendar, events are held worldwide to demonstrate and promote support for environmental protection.

Today more than half of the world's population lives in cities. As the urban population grows and effects of climate change worsen, our cities have to evolve.

It’s time for us to invest in efficiency and renewable energy, rebuild our cities and towns, and begin to solve the climate crisis. Over the next two years, with a focus on Earth Day 2014, the Green Cities campaign will mobilize a global movement to accelerate this transition. If you care about taking care of the planet, join the call for a new era of green cities.

Around the City
Although we are buried in white and gray snow for a good portion of a year, Chicago has been in the "green city" game for quite a while.

Were you one of the many who turned the lights off  during last month's Earth Hour City Challenge? Well, kudos to you! Chicago beat out 60 other cities and was named the 2014 Earth Hour Capital of the United States by the World Wildlife Fund. This was a year-long competition among cities to promote renewable energy and prepare for climate change. We will now go forward and compete over the next year for the title of Global Earth Hour Capital. Get the skinny on Rahm's plan at  Sustainable Chicago 2015

You're all invited to Party for the Planet at Brookfield Zoo! It will feature plantings, an eco expo, and a live music performance.

Can't add another thing to tomorrow's "to-do" list? You're in luck as the City of Chicago kicks off its celebration big time on Thursday, April 24th. Look for events in Grant/Millennium Park and Navy Pier.

Like to really get your hands dirty?  Volunteer to help clean up your neighborhood this Saturday, April 26th from 9am - 12pm!  Put yourself on a team at   Parks and Preserves


At Columbia


Columbia College Chicago is a finalist in the 2014 Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards, an annual competition among US colleges and universities that are signatories of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).


Have fun and support the cause. For instance, you could win a bike in the Bike 2 Campus Campaign which hits streets tomorrow!

Or be on a College Green Team...I think Academics is right up your alley!


Review all of our great Campus Initiatives ...be part of the solution.


Well, got to run...er, bike!