T3: Creating Infographs

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Diana

Infographics have become a popular way to share data in an eye-catching manner.  While there are many software programs that help users create graphs and basic charts there are very few options that allow those without access to or knowledge of expensive graphic design software to create infographs. Two free websites help users design their own infographs: Piktochart and Infogr.am.

  • Piktochart users create infographs using easy data visualization tools and images from a large graphics library.  Users also have the ability to upload 10 personal images per infograph. A free account gives users a choice of 6 templates and lets them create a final image file to share in presentations, on websites, or through a URL.
  • Infogr.am users have fewer options to customize their infographics using this free tool. Text editing is easier than in Piktochart. Users can share their graphic with an embed code or on Facebook or Twitter.

 

 

 

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New Stuff Tuesday – April 2

Posted on April 2, 2013 by kyle

Family Pride

Family Pride:
What LGBT Families Should Know about Navigating Home, School, and Safety in Their Neighborhoods
HQ75.28 .U6 S54 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

Starting last week, many people’s Facebook newsfeed have been filled with a bunch of red equal signs [or some funny variation]. It turns out that Facebook shared that 2.7 million profile pictures were changed to reflect their support for the LGBT community as the Supreme Court takes up California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. This week’s featured title takes a look the family side of individuals affected by the outcomes of these decisions.

Shelton, a therapist based out of Philadelphia, provides a nice primer on the LGBT family. As the author notes in the beginning chapters, the tides have turned and progress has been made for the LGBT community, but there is a counter-attack on them as well. He outlines the issues and challenges that these families face, many of which people may not even consider when thinking about raising children. From evaluating school systems to just going to the park, this book details the ‘need-to-know’ information for the LGBT family.

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Résumé Doctor Apr 2-4

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Barbara

The Résumé Doctor is in! Drop into Andersen Library between 1 and 4 pm Tues.-Thurs. this week (Apr. 2-4) to have the good doctor give your résumé a check-up!

Quick Resume and Cover Letter bookAndersen Library also has resources about résumés, cover letters, and interviews. Search the Library Catalog for the keyword phrase “resumes employment” and you will get a list of titles that will give you advice on how to write résumés (some titles about cover letters and employment interviews also appear on the list). Some titles may be in print, such as Résumé magic: Trade secrets of a professional résumé writer (3rd-floor Main Collection, HF5383 .W46 2010), while others may be accessible online, such as The quick résumé & cover letter book: Write and use an effective résumé in only one day.

For additional suggestions, please ask a librarian.

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For April’s book sale we’ve crammed the books on the carts’ shelves to bring you more wordy goodness than ever before! We’ve books on a number of fascinating topics this time around (don’t we always?) including art, archaeology, history, classics, education, lingustics, communication, politics, music, “around the home,” and miscellaneous. For those of you who haven’t browsed the sale yet, I want you to know that those last two categories contain many unusual books, such as The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space. Whereas, the classics titles include, well, classics such as Bulfinch’s Mythology.

Hope you can make it here to check out the sale, maybe pick up something for April Fool’s Day. Come fall in love with some great books…no fooling!

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Martha | Comments Off on Book Sale Deals…No Fooling

T3 (Thursday Tech Tips): Quick and Easy YouTube Clips

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Diana

Have you ever needed to show only a short segment of a YouTube video in a class or a presentation? TubeChop, a free website requiring no registration, makes quick work of selecting a portion of a video and creating a new link to your segment that now has its own dedicated webpage (with a link back to the original video). All you need to get started is the URL of the YouTube video. You can watch the original video on TubeChop and select your starting and ending points on the fly or you can enter in the time stamp of the clip if you already know it. Once you create the clip you can view it at the new URL, embed it on another page, or share it through email, Facebook, and Twitter.

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New Stuff Tuesday – March 26

Posted on March 26, 2013 by kyle

Gilligan's Island

Gilligan’s Island:
The Complete First Season
Browsing DVD Gil 1
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

Congratulations! You’ve all made it to Spring Break! I know that it seemed like it would never get here. If you’re not off celebrating in some tropical location, don’t you worry! Why not take a little bit of a breather from all of the course work and reading and bring the beach to you. We’ve got hundreds of titles like Gilligan’s Island that will provide your mind a little break from the stresses of college life. Of course, if you’re still looking for a mental challenge, we’ve got plenty of academic titles as well. Either way, we’ve got you covered.

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American Diabetes Association Alert Day

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Barbara

Tuesday, March 26, 2013, is the American Diabetes Association® Alert Day®, which is meant to draw everyone’s attention to diabetes and their risk for the disease.

On the web site you can take the free Diabetes Risk Test, which asks you “to answer simple questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Preventative tips are provided for everyone who takes the test, including encouraging those at high risk to talk with their health care provider.” Apparently, if you take the test between March 26 and April 9, 2013, the Association will get a donation too.

cover of Diabetes A to ZThere is a great deal of information about diabetes on the Association’s web pages, as well as at reputable sites such as the Mayo Clinic’s web pages on diabetes. Andersen Library also has resources to learn more, including online federal government information such as the booklet 4 steps to control your diabetes for life (National Diabetes Education Program) and the video A Change for life: The National Diabetes Prevention Program (Centers for Disease Control; watch the video or alternatively, read the script of the video). A search of HALCat will find these federal government resources as well as books such as Dr. Bernstein’s diabetes solution: The complete guide to achieving normal blood sugars (3rd-Floor Main Collection, RC660.4 .B464 2003), American Diabetes Association complete guide to diabetes: The ultimate home diabetes reference (3rd-floor Main Collection, RC660.4 .A485 1999), and Diabetes A to Z: What you need to know about diabetes, simply put (3rd-floor Main Collection, RC660.4 .D526 2000).

Please ask a librarian if you would appreciate assistance with finding additional information.

FDLP logo Andersen Library is a federal and Wisconsin depository library with many federal and state government documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in many formats, including online. Check out your government at Andersen Library!

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Friday Fun: Book cakes

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Barbara

Screen shot of the Flavorwire 30 cakes blog postI’ve posted about books and food before (Books & Bites), but this time we’re going way past just combining recommendations for books and food! Take a gander at 30 Gorgeous & Delicious Literary Cakes at Flavorwire.com.

The folks at Flavorwire scoured the Internet for these after seeing the post “Check this out: Book cakes for the hungry reader” on EW’s Shelf Life blog. Yum! But I could never make any of these!

And with Spring Break starting, you may want to check out the titles that inspired the cakes! Search the HALCat for the titles to see if we have them.

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Introducing T3 (Thursday Tech Tips): Viewing Flash-based Media on Apple iOS devices

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Diana

Apple mobile devices don’t play Adobe Flash-based videos and games, right? While it is true that the Apple iOS running on iPhones, iPads, and the iPod Touch do not natively work with Flash, you CAN view Flash-based video, play Flash-based games, and view Flash-based websites on your iOS device if you download one of the following apps. These apps are all essentially web browsers that stream flash content found on websites to your mobile device. A drawback to all of them, however, is that the streaming video can be slow at times.  For example, Rover, a browser built primarily for use in K-12 classrooms, suffers from its popularity and is often slow or too busy during the hours of a typical school day.

iSwifter ($7.99 after free, 2-week trial, iPad only)

Photon ($3.99, iPhone/iPod Touch)
Photon ($4.99, iPad)

Puffin (Free, 2-week free trial of Flash support, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch)
Puffin ($2.99, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch)

Rover (Free, iPad only)

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Spring Break! Andersen Library Hours

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Barbara

SPRING BREAK!
clip art of palm treeAndersen Library’s hours will be:

Sat-Sun Mar 23-24: CLOSED
Mon-Fri Mar 25-29: 8am-4:30pm
Sat Mar 30: CLOSED
Sun Mar 31: 3pm-2am (only 2nd floor is open midnight-2am)

Remember that even when the Library is closed or you are traveling, you can:

  • Search article databases …just login when prompted with your campus Net-ID (same as for your campus email or D2L),
  • Search the HALCat Library Catalog and use links to the titles that are online, including ereserves for classes,
  • Renew your checked-out books, DVDs, etc., online (once) through your Personal Record,
  • Consult online guides for assistance, including citation guides for APA, MLA, and Turabian format, and class assignment guides, and
  • Ask a librarian for help using email or chat, or phone us at the Reference Desk (262-472-1032) during Reference Desk hours (Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm, Sunday March 31st 3-5 & 6-10pm).

Regular Spring Semester hours resume on Monday, April 1st (no foolin’).

FYT – The Food for Thought cafe is closed for Break week, so plan to bring in your snacks or lunch, or go out to eat. There are vending machines outside the Library, on the lower level.

Enjoy the break safely, everybody. And don’t forget: You can get audio books or popular novels or feature films from Andersen Library to help enjoy your week off from classes!

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