Good-bye, blog!

The NCC Libraries would like to announce that we are moving away from the blog and heading in a new direction: Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, click here to visit our new Library Services page. Become a fan while you are there! We will update it regularly with information about new books and resources, library events, interesting displays, general information and more! The more fans we get, the more fun we will have!

Thank you for reading SpartaBlog over the last couple of years. We hope that you will follow us to Facebook!

New Computer Lab in the Library!

You may have read about the new study rooms that were installed at Mack Library (main campus) over the summer. Did you know that a new computer classroom was also constructed in the Periodicals Tower?

If you're familiar with the "old" computer classroom, you know that it has 64 computers and was used to teach library classes on research skills. As NCC's enrollment continues to grow, the librarians have been teaching many more classes! To meet this increasing demand, part of the Periodicals Tower has been converted into a 24-seat computer classroom. (The older, larger Computer Tower room will still be used for classes with more than 24 students.)

The 24 additional computers in the new classroom may be used by students when a class is not in session. To find out when classes are scheduled, be sure to look at the sign posted in the doorway to the new classroom. Please note that the room will close at least 15 minutes before a class is scheduled, so that the computers can be set up.

If you are a faculty member at NCC and think your class could benefit from learning how to do research in the Library, be sure to speak with a reference librarian! We look forward to teaching your students in our new, state-of-the-art Library Classroom.

New Study Rooms @ Main Campus Library!

The Mack Library (main campus) has two additional study rooms available for students who wish to work together on group projects. They were constructed in the Periodicals Tower over the summer break. We encourage you to take advantage of these quiet locations if your discussion with fellow students will disturb others in the Library.

To reserve a study room for your group, stop by the Circulation Desk and speak to one of the Library staff. You may also contact us by calling 610-861-5360. Reservations are limited to two hours on any given day, and to two appointments per week.

Please note that sign-up sheets are no longer being used for study room reservations. Only reservations made through the Circulation Desk will be accepted. If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to a member of the Library staff.

Happy Summer, NCC!

The NCC Libraries would like to remind you that our abbreviated summer hours will be in effect from Monday, May 24 through Sunday, August 22.

Here is the summer schedule:

Main Campus
Monday - Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday - Sunday: CLOSED

Monroe Campus
Monday - Thursday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday - Sunday: CLOSED

SpartaBlog! will be taking a break this summer. We'll see you at the start of the Fall 2010 semester. Enjoy your summer vacation!

Welcome to NCC, Sandra Sander!

Today we welcome our new Library Director, Sandra Sander, to the NCC family.

Sandra comes to us from her previous position as Library Director at Lackawanna College in Scranton. It's not unusual for librarians to have had other careers before earning their master's degree in library science, but Sandra's background is particularly interesting: she worked as a forester for the Pennsylvania Electric Company, and has coached cross-country and track. She has also done more typical "librarian" things, like serve as chair of the Northeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association.

So if you see a new face among the librarians in College Center, introduce yourself and give Sandra a warm NCC welcome! We're looking forward to working with her, and we know you'll enjoy meeting her, too.

Book Discussion Group News

This is a reminder that the final meeting of the spring book discussion group will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, May 25, at 11:30 a.m. in the Library's Dornish Room. The book discussion will center around Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice.

Take a look below at the titles we'll be reading during the Summer 2010 Book Discussion Group series. Enjoy some summer reading, then join us to discuss what you thought about the books!

2-4-6-8! It's Olga We Appreciate!

Every year, Northampton Community College employees gather together to celebrate the college's accomplishments at our Staff Appreciation dinner. It's part awards ceremony, part sumptuous banquet, and a bit of good-natured teasing -- all in fun. We honor those among us who have reached milestones in their careers, and say goodbye to those who are leaving.

This year's Staff Appreciation will be special for the folks at the NCC Libraries, because we'll be giving Library Director Olga Conneen a heartfelt pat on the back as she counts down the days until her June 30 retirement. Anyone who has been at NCC for more than ten years can tell you about the many improvements Olga has made to our Libraries, including:

A major renovation of the main campus Library, which added the 64-computer teaching lab and the testing center, replaced dot matrix printers with laser jets, and gave the whole facility a desperately needed furniture and carpeting makeover;

Remodeling at the Monroe Campus Library, which doubled its size and added computers;

Expansion of the Library's collection of databases, which rivals the selection at many four-year colleges;

Addition of the Dornish Collection of Children's Literature, which contains first editions of children's books, signed by the authors and illustrators;

Adoption of information literacy as a student outcome in the college's General Education Core Curriculum, and development of the information literacy component of the COUN 150 course; and

Hiring of more staff, including more reference librarians to teach information literacy classes and assist students with research.

And you can forget about Olga slacking off in her last few weeks at NCC: another renovation has just begun at the main campus Library, where additional study rooms and another computer classroom are being added to the Periodicals Tower.

All of us on the Library staff want to thank Olga for her unflagging efforts to improve service to students and faculty, and her support of our projects and ideas. We have enjoyed our time together, and wish Olga well as she pursues an entirely new goal: relaxation!

Summer Reading Suggestions

Are you ready for summer? If you're heading out on vacation or are lucky enough to lounge on the beach, you'll need a few books to keep you entertained! Check out the Mack Library's McNaughton Browsing Collection for a variety of genres. Here's a sample of new titles you'll find in this section. For more information about the book and to read reviews on Amazon.com, click on the picture of the book.

Aunt Dimity Down Under
by Nancy Atherton
PS 3551 .T426 A93443 2010 Browsing Collection




The Bone Thief
by Jefferson Bass
PS 3602 .A8475 B65 2010 Browsing Collection





Cat of the Century: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery
by Rita Mae Brown
PS 3552 .R698 C37 2010 Browsing Collection





This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
by Carol Burnett
PN 2287 .B85 A3 2010 Browsing Collection




Changes: A Novel of the Dresden Files
by Jim Butcher
PS 3602 .U85 C53 2010 Browsing Collection





Aloha Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
by Jennifer Chiaverini
PS 3553 .H473 A79 2010 Browsing Collection




The Shadow of Your Smile
by Mary Higgins Clark
PS 3553 .L287 S48 2010 Browsing Collection




Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove
by Cathy Erway
TX 715 .E7155 2010 Browsing Collection






The Walk
by Richard Paul Evans
PS 3555 .V259 W35 2010 Browsing Collection







Apple Turnover Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes
by Joanne Fluke
PS 3556 .L685 A66 2010 Browsing Collection





Stress-Eating Cure: Lose Weight with the No-Willpower Solution to Stress-Hunger and Cravings
by Rachael F. Heller
RM 222.2 .H362 2010 Browsing Collection



The Inn at Angel Island: An Angel Island Novel
by Thomas Kinkade
PS 3561 .I534 I66 2010 Browsing Collection







The Spellmans Strike Again
by Lisa Lutz
PS 3612 .U897 S69 2010 Browsing Collection






Season of Second Chances
by Diane Meier
PS 3613 .E426 S43 2010 Browsing Collection






The Lake Shore Limited
by Sue Miller
PS 3563 .I421444 L35 2010 Browsing Collection





House Rules
by Jodi Picoult
PS 3566 .I372 H68 2010 Browsing Collection






Feathered Serpent 2012
by Junius Podrug
PS 3566 .O325 .F43 2010 Browsing Collection






Every Last One
by Anna Quindlen
PS 3567 .U336 E84 2010 Browsing Collection






Think Twice
by Lisa Scottoline
PS 3569 .C725 T48 2010 Browsing Collection

Summer Reading for Children

If you will have young ones at home this summer, encourage them to read! It helps build their vocabulary and critical thinking skills, and keeps them focused on academic habits so they will be ready for the next school year.

If your children are old enough to read independently, they are sure to enjoy the summer reading program at your local public library. Kids keep track of how many books they've read, and earn prizes and recognition. If you have infants and toddlers, reading a book aloud to them can encourage development of their speaking skills and cognitive abilities.

Here are some picture books that have just been added to the children's literature collection at the NCC Libraries.


Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types
by Sharon Werner
PE 1155 .W365 2009
Easy Readers Section





Read It, Don't Eat It!
by Ian Schoenherr
PZ 8.3 .S3695 RE 2009
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section





Book Fiesta! : Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day = Celebremos El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros: A Bilingual Picture Book
by Pat Mora
PZ 73 .M635 2009
Easy Readers Section




Born to Read
by Judy Sierra
PZ 8.3 .S577 BOR 2008
Easy Readers Section






If You Were a Penguin
by Wendell Minor
PZ 8.3 .M6467 IF 2009
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section




One Rainy Day
by Christina M. Butler
PZ 7 .B9773 OMR 2009
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section






Celestine, Drama Queen
by Penny Ives
PZ 7 .I949 CE 2009
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section





One Brown Bunny
by Marion Dane Bauer
PZ 8.3 .B3199 ON 2009
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section




Adios, Oscar!
by Peter Elwell
PZ 7 .E552 ADI 2009
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section






The Jellybeans and the Big Dance
by Laura Joffe Numeroff
PZ 7 .N964 JEL 2008
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section





The Blacker the Berry: Poems
by Joyce Carol Thomas
PS 3570 .H565 B53 2008
Easy Readers Section






Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope
by Nikki Grimes
E 901.1 .O23 G75 2008
Easy Readers Section and Monroe Children's Section

Mind Your Manners: It's National Etiquette Week

Today kicks off National Etiquette Week, which promotes polite and proper behavior. You may think of etiquette as men opening doors for ladies, or for knowing which fork to use at a fancy meal, but there is more to it than that. Etiquette affects many aspects of life, including social events, entertaining, business, using technology, personal relationships and more. For instance, how do you properly greet business associates from another country? Is it appropriate to send an engagement gift to a newly engaged couple? Is it rude to answer a cell phone call during dinner?

For guidance in navigating these and other potentially embarrassing situations, check out these resources from the NCC Libraries.

Business Etiquette

Passport to Success: The Essential Guide to Business Culture and Customs in America's Largest Trading Partners
by Jeanette S. Martin
HF 5389 .M3753 2009 Stacks

The Essential Guide to Business Etiquette
by Lillian H. Chaney
HF 5389 .C468 2007 Stacks

Global Business Etiquette: A Guide to International Communication and Customs
by Jeanette S. Martin
HF5389 .M375 2006 Stacks

Social Etiquette

Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners
by Laura P. Claridge
BJ 1854 .C635 2008 Stacks

The New Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times
by Karen Grigsby Bates
BJ 1854 .B38 2006 Stacks

Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today; or, Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door
by Lynne Truss
BJ 1533 .C9 T78 2005 Stacks

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Etiquette
by Mary Mitchell
BJ 1853 .M58 2004 Stacks
Also available online as an e-book.

Letitia Baldrige's New Manners for New Times: A Complete Guide to Etiquette
by Letitia Baldrige
BJ 1853 .B36 2003 Reference

Miss Manners' Guide to Domestic Tranquility: The Authoritative Manual for Every Civilized Household, However Harried
by Judith Martin
BJ 1854 .M37 1999 Stacks

Emily Post's Etiquette
by Peggy Post
BJ 1853 .P6 1997 Stacks and Reference

The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette
by Nancy Tuckerman
BJ 1853 .T83 1995 Reference

Image courtesy of:
Judem, Emily. "And Don't Slurp Your Soup." Colby Magazine. Colby College. Summer 2005. Web. 27 Apr. 2010.