Using MLA Style

Your students may want to refer to the sample paper in MLA style on this blog. You will find it under Student Resources on the right side bar. It has been updated to suit the most recent update, MLA 2009.

All About the Voting Machines in New York

New Yorkers: Find the type of machine you'll be using by county. You'll find an online tutorial as well.

Dinosaurs on the Roof : A Student Book Review

Novel: Dinosaurs on the ROOF
Author: David Rabe
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year: 2008
Reviewer: Karina Hernandez,Student Library Assistant, Medical Assistant Management Major.

In this first chapter of “Dinosaurs on the Roof” we are introduced to what at first glance seems to be a simple story. Janet Cawley, the main character, is portrayed to be a lonely, athletic because of the description of her running, but surely a person with a set routine. This routine was changed by the appearance of this “Old four door Chevy.” In this car Janet finds a woman familiar to her, Bernice Doorley, her mother old friend. A woman that with the sentence: “Get in. I need to ask a sort of favor, and I can make it snappy,” makes Janet hesitant and inflicts Janet with the feeling of caution.

Janet’s history is revealed a bit to us. She has been divorced and her mother died. Since then she has shown little interest in having people in her life. One way or another she has driven her into isolation, quit her job and avoided her friends. To Janet the visit of Bernice was a mystery, yet in the back of her mind she was preparing to tell Bernice to mind her own business. Just in case she was like everybody else who judged the way she has been living. Bernice was not there to judge her, although she was the type of person who didn’t hold back just to be polite.

Bernice was ready for the “Rapture” which according to her religion was going to happen that night. The rapture she explained is “a matter of Jesus and a bunch of special angels coming to haul some people off body and soul, all the folks who been saved” and she was going to be one of those people.

Bernice asked Janet to look after her animals, and for a woman who had been so successful at getting rid of the annoying people in her life you would think that she would get out it of easily. In some strange way, Janet felt hypnotized, she ended up accepting even though she tried not to.

The chapter finishes on this note: Janet and Bernice on their way to see Bernice’s beloved animals. How can these animals change Janet’s life? Does the Rapture really happen? Are we going to see Dinosaurs on the Roof? What is going to happen to these two characters? We only can find out if we keep reading this very intriguing story.

A Video Game Publisher Creates an App for Investing

Black Ops Entertainment, a video game publisher, released recently a charting application for traders. The app, designed for the iPad user, called iTraderPro, presents their $24.99 charting package in 3D. According to its CEO, John Botti,the buy and sell signals featured on the application will allow users to save.

Featured in Theresa W. Carey's Electronic Investor, Barron's (10/04/10)

How Prosperity Evolves | The New York Academy of Sciences

How Prosperity Evolves | The New York Academy of Sciences

3 Scholarships for Children & Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Victims of September 11, 2001

The following are three scholarship opportunities for children and spouses directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001:


NYS World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship
Amount to be Determined
Apply by May 1, 2011
http://www.hesc.com/content.nsf/SFC/NYS_World_Trade_Center_Memorial_Scholarship

Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund
Apply by May 15, 2011
http://www.familiesoffreedom.org

CFA Institute September 11th Memorial Scholarship: Up to $25,000
Apply by June 15, 2011
http://sms.scholarshipamerica.org/cfainstitute/guidelines.pdf

Please sign our September 11, 2001 Memory Banner

CW Community:

Once again, we'll hang a September 11, 2001 Memory Banner in The College of Westchester Library. We are providing colored pens and pencils for you to write on this banner designed to communicate your memories relevant to that day.

Please come down to the Library and read or write on the banner. We will hang it this Saturday, September 11, 2001 and it will be on display in the Library through the end of September 2010.

Thanks in advance,
Monecia Samuel
Director of the Library

Plagiarism Lines Blur For Students In Digital Age

Article: Plagiarism Lines Blur For Students In Digital Age
Publication: New York Times
Author: Trip Gabriel
Date: August 1, 2010
Summarized by: Joseph Levis, Reference & Instruction Librarian

New technology has altered college students views of authorship, both in terms of what they actually write and how they consider what others have written. A tricky area when it comes to issues of plagiarism is unattributed documents on the internet. Just because students finds material on a web page or Wikipedia doesn’t mean they can just copy and paste it as if it was their own work, but there have been notable instances of this very thing happening. The worst part is that students continue to do this even when they've been made aware that its wrong.

One thought is that because students no longer go to a physical library to access information - and find reference sources mostly through their computer - they treat it like everything else they find on the internet, such as ‘free’ MP3s and ‘free’ movies. Why wouldn’t they just steal text as well? Separate but related is the idea that current college students, who may be less individualistic than those from previous generations, indulge in “mixing and matching,” similar to the way that a TV show or a pop song might appropriate snippets of other similar works without giving direct credit. However, others offer a simpler theory, which is that some students are just unprepared for the rigors of college writing.

Women Take The Lead

Article: Women lead the way
Publication: Training
Author: Margery Weinstein
Issue: July/ August 2010
Review by: Karina Hernandez

“It’s a man’s world,” this statement is no longer true. In today’s world we see more and more females in the work force of corporate America. Through much struggle and work females have been making their way into executives’ jobs and into being seen as male equals. Still there are few women in leading work position. Women “make up the majority of university graduates, and yet they get stuck in middle and lower ranks of companies, often over looked for top roles,” said Selena Rezani, author of “The Next Generation of Women Leaders”. The author Margery Weinstein discusses how companies could increase the females in leading role positions by simply acknowledging that they are there. She talks about having a “Network of their own” as it seen at Cbeyond, a managed services provider in Atlanta. In this company they have an organization design specifically to help women get ahead in their career by the simple fact of networking. The Cbeyond Women’s Network creates a learning and development environment. The article encourages other companies to do the same, which I believe is a good idea because it would only strengthen the company’s workforce. But this might seem a little unfair for the male’s point of view. The article also discusses Western Summit Constructors Inc. and how “women’s leadership development is a top priority.” The construction field is not an easy one for females, but the way this company goes about helping females develop and get ahead is not by giving them their own program; rather by giving women the same amount of attention as men in all of its training programs. They are included in their internship program, mentoring program and leadership program. This company realizes that there are differences between females and males, but these differences do not make any one more capable over the other. “The differences in female leadership tendencies can be use to optimize the company’s benefit.” I couldn’t agree more with Stephanie Taylor (the Bilingual Training Specialist of Summit Constructors Inc.). Females and males are not the same, but the characteristics that disassociate us, when use correctly could lead us into a successful path.

Google to Become Major Player in Gaming

Google invests $100 Million in Zynga. The full article published in Variety is available through the title link to this blog entry.

On To Kill A Mockingbird

What happens when an iconic novel turns 50? People remember it.

Too Many Books?

If you have a bestselling business title written in the past 2 years, you'd like to donate to the CW Library, please let us know. We will include your name on the online records of the books donated.

Ask the Library About Outside Scholarships

The Library organizes and compiles resources with outside scholarship information. Please find our current scholarships packet on this Blog and opportunities posted at the Library entrance.

Outside scholarships can be combined with any CW scholarship. Anyone presently enrolled at any college or university can take advantage of these opportunities. In most cases, scholarship applicants must be prepared to submit grade point averages, transcripts and at least a one page essay. However, most companies do not require the same information from their applicants. It is best to check through the eligibility requirements for each respective grantor carefully.

If you have any questions, please ask any of the Library staff for assistance.

Summer Reading 2010

The New York Public Library has taken a unique approach to summer reading. This summer, they've rolled out www.summerreading.org, a website where students can create an avatar and show off their favorite books, CDs, movies, or video games all with one profile. They can create reviews and find new things by seeing what their fellow students are reading, watching, or playing this summer.

Newly Arranged Study Areas in the Library

The CW Library has 4 designated group study tables. The study tables are creatively enclosed by bookshelves and accomodate groups with up to six members.

If you'd like to reserve a table for your class, please contact the librarians.

Library Newspapers

The Library holds the following newspapers:

Barron's
The Journal News
New York Times
USA Today
Wall Street Journal

The newspapers have been re-located to the front reference desk. Our "new" newspaper polls are a gift from Nyack College.

How It Affects the Nation - 2010 Census

Did you mail your Census form? There are only two days left. From late April 2010 to August 2010, Census employees will visit households that did not return the form.

Credit Card Act Impact

This Washington Post article includes clarification of credit card laws including those that will go into effect after August 22, 2010.

How LinkedIn Will Fire Up Your Career

Article- How LinkedIn Will Fire Up Your Career
Periodical- Fortune
Vol. 161 no. 5 , Arpil 12, 2010
Author- Jessi Hempel
Reviewed by- Paolo Varrenti, the College of Westchester

LinkedIn is a powerful recruitment tool used to obtain positions in today’s most competitive job market. In today’s economy, it is harder than ever to find a good career path. The competition is very strong amongst college graduates trying to develop their careers. This year 50,000 job positions are opening up for telecom consultants, finance experts, software specialists and many more. Most people do not know that there is an easier way to get your name out there for job openings. LinkedIn is a networking system that can put your name out there, and companies can contact you after reviewing your profile. It is basically like face book and monster intertwined. This is because it is a resume in the style of an online profile with your skills and specialties.
Recruitment teams for big companies used to rely on headhunters, employee referrals, and job boards. This is a way of the past now that they can access thousands of applications with the click of a button. Companies find it much easier to review someone’s profile online and get a true understanding of who they are through their past experiences and skills. The article states that if you are not on the LinkedIn system, you do not exist in the eyes of John Compagnio. Compagnio is the head of Global Recruitment. He strictly uses LinkedIn to search for applicants to fill specific job opening.
I would recommend this article to college graduates with any degree level. They need to understand the importance of this system and how they can network on a professional level. Jessi Hempel stresses the importance of social networking because it is the future of recruitment. LinkedIn is one tool no college graduate should be without.

A Jolt for Energy Innovation

Periodical: U.S News and World Report
Article: A Jolt for Energy Innovation
Author: Kent Garber
Article date: Vol. 147. 4, April 2010
Reviewed by: Lewis Joseph (The College of Westchester)

A Jolt for Energy Innovation, by Kent Garber, focuses on the United States and it’s lack of technological innovation in recent years due to lack of funding. Due to the stimulus package set forth by President Barack Obama, Steven Chu was able to take strides by presenting new ideas and setting them into motion after becoming the head of the Department of Energy in January of this year.
This article explains the challenges that are present in finding funding for most potential energy endeavors in the U.S, and reasons why many ideas tend to fall by the way side. Steven Chu is trying to find new ways of both improving energy use and making sure good ideas don’t fail to come to light due to a lack of funding.

How to Advertise on Facebook

How to Advertise on Facebook: A Review by Andrew Javier Castillo, The College of Westchester
Inc. (Feb. 2010) pp.94- 96

This article is fascinating. Many people pay a lot of money to place their ads on Google not knowing that Facebook advertising is the new “thing.” Many new people, almost a 100 million a month are joining the revolution of social networking. Faceboook ads are cheaper and companies are choosing Facebook over Google’s pay-per-click Adwords. This article points out four tips to help you get started on your Facebook ads
• Choosing your target, knowing who you going to advertise to and who is you audience.
• Test, test – and test some more, checking how you going to run your ads and doing small tests on certain groups.
• Do your own tracking, track and keep tabs on how many times your ads are shown to people and the number of clicks you received. Check to see if people purchased the product, or asked for the service you offered them, or just browsed the website and moved on.
• Make your ads pop, it’s difficult to get noticed so being creative and original is advised to stand out of thousands of Facebook ads that are being put out every day.

Written by, Jason Del Rey for Inc.
(February 2010)

MTV Reality Show Follows Career Search of Recently Graduated College Students

From Variety.com (March 16, 2010)

With a 20-episode order, "MTV Hired" will provide work for five exec producers: Jessica Chesler, Sam Simmons, Noah Scheinmann, Matt Westmore, Marshall Eisen and Dave Sirulnick. The real-life job seekers featured on the show will range from the overqualified to underqualified, in a variety of professions.

Follow the title link for the full article.

How Campbell's CEO, Douglass Conant, Turned A Company In Trouble Around

This article is an interview of Campbell's CEO, Douglass Conant. It is from Gallup Management Journal, March 15, 2010 issue.

5 Levels of Effective Communication in the Social Media Age

What I found most interesting about this article, 5 Levels of Effective Communication in Social Media Age, is the stated fact that email takes and requires more time from its writers and readers compared to other avenues of communication online. For this reason, Twitter is becoming attractive to many. The value of phone communication for delicate topics is acknowledged and the article supports as well, the value of in person contact still, and points out - although in-person contact was once recognized as the first social entry point, it is now in most cases, the last.

The title link to this blog entry leads to the full article by Soren Gordhamer.

Monecia Samuel
Director of the Library

Outside 325: A Child's View of Haiti

Outside 325: Photo Journalism from Haiti
Haitian Children 9-18 years old share their photo documents of the regeneration of Haiti over the past two weeks. The title link of this blog post leads to The New York Times feature of these photos.

Professional Development - Distance Ph.D. Programs

Indiana State University - Ph.D. in Technology Management
(August 15, 2010 Application Deadline)
http://www.indstate.edu/consortphd/application/index.html

University of Florida - Ph.D. in Classics
(March 31, 2010 Application Deadline)
http://www.classics.ufl.edu/distance/distance.html

Review: The Moment Social Media Became Serious Business

I was introduced to Twitter last week and I liked it because of the limited information one can put into twittering. Ironically, I discovered Tammy Erickson's Blog at the Harvard Business Review Online called "The Moment Social Media Became Serious Business". What caught my attention was the way Ms. Erickson outlined that social media is an integral part of the way we work - a core tool of serious business which is so true. It integrates the modern technology that is available to us in marketing and also for social interaction. This article proves that the technological world we are living in is advancing rapidly and some of us are making adjustments and some are not. The Web 2.0 is just the beginning of things to come in the future. Social media is changing the way organizations communicate to their customers and that is very important if they want their organizations to be competitive and effective. It is a powerful tool for everyone to communicate effectively whether it is in print or media world. It allows people to communicate their message properly so others can understand what they are saying. It is a good tool for sharing knowledge and how to find resources that will be helpful to us with our projects. For example, CW Library has a twitter account at twitter.com/cwlibrary with 51 followers and these followers can get up to date news.

Review by Ula Ann Best

Remarks by President Obama about the Relief Efforts in Haiti

The title link to this Blog entry leads to the transcript.

College Library Hours for Monday, January 18, 2010, Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday

The College of Westchester Library will be operating on a schedule from 3:00pm until 9:00pm. If you need to contact the Librarian, please leave a voicemail at
914-831-0281.

Outside 325: Drexel's VIP Admissions Application Attracts a Wave of Applicants

From The Chronicle Online, January 10, 2010
To access this article use: Msam2410, MEzuFuFY

Drexel created an online VIP Application which asks for no application fee or essay. It is so easy to apply, it attracts a great number of applicants. Read the article and see how they've managed to attract so many applicants. Note the user/pword above.

Haiti and its History - An Easy To Read Guide from CNN

This easy to read historical timeline of Haiti includes a map and the history of Haiti to the recent earthquake.

‘Avatar’ Soars On Fat Ad Spending, Mass Marketing

Advertising Age 1/4/10
By Andrew Hampp

“‘Avatar’ Soars On Fat Ad Spending, Mass Marketing” by Andrew Hampp talks about how Fox made the movie Avatar such huge success through good use of mass marketing. The article mentions in particular the exclusive promotions made in partnership with Coke Zero, McDonald’s. These promotions included not just traditional marketing tools like Happy Meals but also things like creating virtual spaces for fans to interact other aspects of the movie environment. The article also talks about how LG and Panasonic used Avatar to promote products with similar 3-D innovations. Lastly the article mentions that Avatar may become the highest grossing movie in history. It has already set the record for most tickets sold in one weekend. As a closing comment the author says that the movie’s success makes it a rising tide to lift all sales. This article is well written and details a good example of how mass marketing can help make a product a big success. The article also showcases the diversity of modern marketing campaigns fairly well.

Review by Chris Postma

NEW in Library Periodicals -The Harvard Business Review - Jan/Feb 2010

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) Jan./Feb. 2010 issue, focuses on reinvention. The issue spotlights transformation in terms of one's own business to meet today's challenges. The issue inlcudes 10 breakthough ideas for 2010 and 5 ways to bungle a job change. It is a special double issue.

The HBR is available in the College of Westchester Library. We request that you do not make photocopies of any HBR issue. Please let a librarian know if you'd like to borrow the copy to read in your office.

Thanks in advance,
Monecia Samuel
College Librarian