What happened during Banned Books Week

The Banned Books displays in all three LRCs last week raised lots of interesting questions about why books might be banned and led to further discussions on topics ranging from Hitler to Martin Luther King, to the Qur'an and the Bible. Students couldn't believe the range of books that have been banned over time.

Some students were brave enough to 'liberate' (borrow) books from the LRC displays. We look forward to hearing their views.




Class visit to Banned Books display at Farnham College

At Farnham College four English classes came to see the displays and do the quizzes. This included two A level classes studying political correctness in language, so the theme of banned books tied in well.

Quiz results:

• At Farnham College Deni Wither won the main Banned Book quiz
• Also at Farnham Lily Bohling won the word hunt, finding an amazing 88 words in 'Banned Books'! Although even more amazing was that adding together all words found by students and library staff, the total was 179! (there may even be more...)
• At Guildford College Musaed AlFoudari correctly identified the 10 banned books from the 15 pictured in the quiz (and wins a £10 print voucher)

For those still wondering, the correct answers to the Guildford College quiz were:

Banned:

 

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J K Rowling)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
• A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
• The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
• Wild Swans (Jung Chang)
• Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
• And Tango Makes Three (Justin Richardson)
• The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)
• Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)

Not Banned:

• The Brutal Art (Jesse Kellerman)
• Women in Love (D H Lawrence)
• Hairy-Scary Monster (Roderick Hunt)
• Birdsong (Sebastian Faulks)
• The Godfather (Mario Puzo)

December opening hours at GCLRC

As some of you may know we are losing two members of the LRC team at Guildford College very soon, leaving us with three members of staff!

The good news is we will have some temporary staff working with us for the last three weeks of term so please be nice to them and bear with us if things take a little longer than usual.

The bad news is that we won't have any cover for evenings so from Wednesday 3 December the LRC will close at 5.00 pm Monday to Thursday.  Friday opening hours remain unchanged and we will close at 4.30 pm as per normal.

We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause but once we have new staff in place in the New Year normal opening hours will resume.

Warning - Banned Books

As part of Diversity Week, the LRCs are highlighting Banned Books

Come to the LRCs this week (24-28 November) and be amazed at some of the books which have been banned not just in the distant past but also in the present time. Governments, local authorities, schools (and even libraries) in some countries ban books because they are considered to be dangerous from a moral, political or religious viewpoint.

Banned books have ranged from Madame Bovary, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Heart of Darkness, to Lord of the Flies, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Captain Underpants!

However history shows that banning a book is the perfect way to get people reading and discussing it!

Things to do in the LRCs this week:

• Read more about what happened when some books were banned
• Enter the LRC banned book quizes (£10 print voucher prize at Guildford)
• Borrow a banned book from the LRCs and find out how dangerous it is!

New for November in Key Note

Market Reports - Out Now

> Baby Products

> Childrenswear

> Cruise Market

> Electricity Industry  *

> Ethnic Foods  * 

> Household Appliances (Brown Goods)

> Life Insurance

> Offshore Oil & Gas Industry

> Packaging (Food & Drink)

> Stationery (Personal & Office)  *

> Soft Drinks  *

* These reports contain additional LIVE financial data and performance league tables (updated monthly) for the top companies in these markets.

Click on a title above to see the report - you will need to log in to access the full report if you are not in College

Half Term Opening Hours

All three LRCs will be closed on Friday 24 October for CPD day (staff training)

Guildford College

Monday - Tuesday           CLOSED

Wednesday - Friday         9.30 - 4.30 (closed 12.30 - 1.30)

Farnham College

Monday                     9.00 - 5.00

Tuesday - Friday      CLOSED

New for October in Key Note

Market Reports - Out Now

Breakfast Cereals  *    
Clothing Manufacturing   *
Exhibitions & Conferences   *
Medical Equipment
Mobile Phones  * 
Premium Lagers, Beers & Ciders     
Sports Sponsorship   
Toys & Games   *

* These reports contain additional dynamic financial data and performance league tables (updated monthly) for the top companies in these markets.

Click on a title above to see the report - you will need to log in to access the full report if you are not in College.

Book a PC in the LRC

New for 2014 - book a computer in the LRC up to 7 days in advance.

Over the Summer new software was installed which allows you to pre-book a computer to use in the LRC - Look for the netloan links in Moodle. (Please note: this link is only available in College)

If you use one of our 'Walk up' computers you will be allocated a two hour slot - don't worry if you need longer you simply need to ask for your time to be extended at the LRC desk.

How to Book

Login to netloan with your college ID number and password and then click on the Reservations tab.

In the Reservation tasks box on the right of the screen make your selection using the following options:

Use the calendar to select the date you want.

Click on ‘select from list’ to choose the correct LRC

Click on the drop down arrow to choose the area in the LRC that you want.

Now you can click on a free ‘white’ slot in the grid which will turn yellow to show your selection.

The time and computer number will be entered into the ‘Reservation tasks’ box for you.

Edit the end time as necessary in the task box – you can book up to 2 hours at a time. 

When the details are correct click ‘Create’ to make the booking.

Avoid a fine - Renew online

Did you know that you can access your LRC account on myLibrary to see what you've borrowed, reserve books on loan, and renew your books?

Ask a member of staff at the desk in the LRC for a PIN and be in control of your borrowing.

You will then be able to login on the catalogue with your ID number and your PIN.

New for this year

You can now change your PIN once you have logged in by clicking on the Preferences tab.

Look for the Change PIN button towards the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions.

Evening opening at GC LRC

The LRC at Guildford College will be open as follows from Monday 22 September.


Monday            8.45 - 6.00
Tuesday           8.45 - 6.00
Wednesday      8.45 - 6.00
Thursday          8.45 - 6.00
Friday               8.45 - 4.30

Summer opening hours

Opening times may be subject to change at short notice so please check with the relevant LRC before travelling.

Guildford College

The LRC is now closed and will reopen on Monday 8 September.

Merrist Wood

7 – 25 July	Monday, Tuesday, & Friday	9.00 – 1.00
28 July – 1 August	Monday – Wednesday, & Friday	9.00 – 1.00
4 – 8 August	Monday, Tuesday, & Friday	9.00 – 1.00
11 – 15 August	CLOSED
18 – 22 August	Monday – Wednesday	9.00 – 1.00

The LRC will be closed on the bank holiday, Monday 25 August.

Opening hours during enrolment weeks will be confirmed at a later date.

Evening opening hours alteration

The LRC at Guildford College will close at the earlier time of 6.00pm on the following dates:

Tuesday 24 June
Thursday 26 June
Tuesday 1 July
Thursday 3 July

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Book Swap 2014

The ‘Big Book Read’ in the LRC

Thursday 5th June, 10 am – 4 pm

 

To promote the pleasure of reading, Guildford College LRC is holding a book swap. Why not pop in and bring along one of your old fiction books to swap for another.

Staff are, of course, welcome to come along and swap too and if you have any unwanted fiction books (in reasonable condition) that you would like to donate to our book swap, they will be most welcome.

 

See you there!

New this month in Key Note

Market Reports - Out Now

New for May 2014

Travel Agents & Overseas Tour Operators *
Corporate Hospitality*
Digital Broadcasting 
Book Retailing on the Internet
Home Shopping
Confectionery*
OTC Pharmaceuticals*
Home Furnishings*
Metal Recycling*
China & Earthenware*
Corporate Hospitality*

* These reports contain dynamic financial data and league tables (updated monthly) for the top companies in these markets.

Click on a title above to see the report - you will need to log in to access the full report if you are not in College.

Half term opening hours

All three LRCs will be CLOSED on Monday 26 May for the Bank Holiday.

Guildford College

Tuesday         9.30 - 4.30
Wednesday    9.30 - 4.30  (Closed 12.30 - 2.00)
Thursday        9.30 - 4.30
Friday             9.30 - 4.30

Farnham College

Closed all week

Merrist Wood College

Tuesday         Closed
Wednesday   Closed
Thursday       9.30 - 1.00
Friday            9.30 - 1.00

Welcome to the Summer Term 2014

Welcome back after the Easter break.

At Guildford College LRC we saw 988 visitors over the Easter break and hope you all had a chance to relax and enjoy the sunshine and some Easter eggs in between coursework and revision.

As we go into this term the pressure will be on for you all whether it's finishing off all your coursework or sitting exams. Please respect each other at this time and keep noise to a minimum when you are in the LRC.

We can't believe it's been a whole year since we had our Kiosk installed! We feel it's been working really well and most of you seem to love self-issue and returns.

Here are a few stats to show you how well the kiosk is being used:

8511 books have been borrowed
1302 books have been renewed
8031 books have been returned

Top ebooks in April

Business yet again keep top spot in this month's chart but we have new entries for Motor Vehicle, Teaching and Animal Management

Here's April's chart (by pages viewed):

1929   BTEC Level 3 National Business Book 1
1033   BTEC Level 3 Business Book 2 
449     Beauty therapy. - 3rd ed.
449     Body fitness and exercise: basic theory and practice for therapists
336     Consumer behaviour in sport and events
292     John Bowlby and attachment theory
247     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 1
195     Hilllier's fundamentals of motor vehicle technology
159     Practical teaching 
127     Restraint and handling of wild and domestic animals

Books from the World's Best Restaurants 2014

Find inspiration from some of the top chefs and see what it takes to get that elusive Michelin star (or two).

Did you know that the LRC at Guildford College has the cookbooks from some of the world's best restaurants in stock?

The books featured below, with some tasters of what they contain, are all from restaurants in the top ten of the World's Best Restaurants 2014.

You can also find the full list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants on the award website http://www.theworlds50best.com/

Don't forget you can search our online catalogue, Heritage, to find what other recipe and cookbooks we have on offer.

Noma

Best restaurant in the world 2014
Best Restaurant in Europe 2014

Alinea  
Number 9 in the World's Best Restaurant Awards 2014

Mugaritz   
Number 6 in the World's Best Restaurant Awards 2014

Eleven Madison Park  
Number 4 in the World's Best Restaurant Awards 2014
Best Restaurant in North America 2014

D.O.M.

Number 7 in the World's Best Restaurant Awards 2014

Best Restaurant in South America 2014

Top e-books in March

Business yet again keep top spot  in March's top ten e-books by pages viewed.

Here's March's chart:

2404   BTEC Level 3 National Business Book 1
2347   BTEC Level 3 Business Book 2 
1020   Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 1
848     Beauty therapy. - 3rd ed.
493     Beauty therapy fact file
271     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 2
250     Counselling skills and theory
230     Construction science
227     Beyond blame 
207     BTEC National Information Technology Practitioners Book 1

NEW!! Philip Allan Review Magazines Archive

Introducing a brand NEW online resource!!!

The Philip Allan Review Magazine Archive is a fantastic resource for A-level and Access students.

You can view individual copies of the magazines and many of the magazines also come with extra resources and revision materials as you can see from the picture below.

Or search for your topic using the search function at the top of the home screen. Make sure you click on the magnifying glass to see your results!

The subjects covered in the archive include: History, Biology, Business, Chemistry, English, Geography, Physics, Politics, Psychology and Sociology.

Access the Philip Allan Review magazines Archive via the LRCs Moodle Page > E-Resources > More Online Resources.

If you would like any help using this or any of our other online resources just pop into your LRC!

New this month in Key Note

Market Reports - Out Now
New for April 2014

Lingerie*
Chemical Industry*
Shopfitting*
Digital Communications*
IT Training
B2B Marketing
Computer Services
Clothing Retailing*

* These reports now contain dynamic financial data and league tables (updated monthly) for the top companies in these markets.

Click on a title above to see the report - you will need to log in to access the full report if you are not in College.

Google - advanced searching

Google has lots of options you can use to limit and filter your search if you go to Advanced Search – look under the cog wheel.  However this sometimes disappears so it can be useful to know some of the search commands you can use.

Here are some examples of what you can do.

“search term”

Enclosing a phrase in quotes will ensure that Google searches for it as a phrase and not as two separate search terms

-  (minus sign)

Using a minus sign in front of a word means that Google will not retrieve results containing that search term.

Manchester –united

site:

This command allows you to search within large websites or particular domains

site:nhs.uk

site:twitter.com

intext:

Prefix a search term with this command to force Google to use exactly what you typed rather than automatically including synonyms.

filetype:

This command lets you search by the type of file.

filetype:mp3

filetype:docx

N.B. Google won’t find doc and docx unless you include a command for both of them in your search.

Numeric range

You can use this with anything related to numbers –temperatures, weights, distances, prices.  Simply type in your two numbers separated by two full stops.

Sony TV £300..500

Compare

This isn’t actually a Google command but it works like this: - type in a search in the format compare carrots with cabbage

Google will then create a table comparing the two items – do take care though as Google can get it wrong!

Check out this Google help page for more information on Search Operators

What Should I Read Next?

If you enjoy reading fiction do you have a never-ending list of books you’d like to read, or do you need some inspiration – a nudge in a different direction?  If so, there’s a website that can direct you to new authors and titles.

Next time you can’t decide what to read next, why not visit www.whatshouldIreadnext.com.  Just type in the title of a book you've enjoyed and see suggestions for other titles that you might also enjoy.  

Google Search Tools

Did you know that Google has filters called ‘Search Tools’ to help you refine your internet searching?  Usually the link appears in the menu above your search results. Once you have done your initial search simply click on the link to display your options. (Sometimes the Search tools will appear on the left hand side of your screen).

All Results

If you click on ‘All results’ you get two useful options – Reading Level and Verbatim.

Verbatim

Use this option to force Google to use your search terms exactly as you typed them.  This will stop Google from including synonyms or suggesting alternative spellings.

Reading Level

Using this option will give you the option to choose one of three reading levels – basic, intermediate, and advanced.  Click on the option you choose to retrieve just those results.  Be careful – Google does sometimes get it wrong!

Any Time

Clicking on this will give you the option to limit your search by date – last week, month, year.  Simply select the time period you require or use the custom range option if you want to set your own.

Location options

There are two different options you can use to limit by location.  

The first is Any country.  You can use this option to limit your search to the UK.

The second will often display an auto-detected location.  Click on the given location to access the option to set your own.

Easter Opening Hours

The Easter holidays will soon be upon us and so, if you plan to visit us, here are the opening times of the LRCs.

All three LRCs will be closed on the bank holidays:

Good Friday (18 April)
Easter Monday (21 April)

Farnham College

The LRC will be open on the following days:

Monday 7 April            9.00 - 5.00
Tuesday 8 April          9.00 - 5.00
Thursday 10 April       9.00 - 5.00

The LRC will be closed for the rest of the Easter break

Guildford College

Monday 7 April - Thursday 17 April         9.30 - 4.30

Opening times may be subject to change at short notice so please check with the relevant LRC before travelling

Is Google watching you?

Did you know that Google uses your previous searches and browsing history to ‘personalise’ your results? This means there is a good chance that when you search for something you will get a different set of results to everyone else.  This is because Google filters your results to show you the ones it thinks suit you best.

Even if you’re not signed into an account Google tracks where you have been on the internet.  It then uses this information to alter your search results to show you things that are related to your location and your interests.

This is not always a bad thing.  For a lot of searching you do it is helpful when Google ‘remembers’ your interests and pulls relevant sites higher up your results list. However, when searching for a new topic (e.g. for an assignment) you don't necessarily want Google to use this information when compiling your results.

TED talk: Beware online "filter bubbles"

There are some steps you can take to make your searching more ‘neutral’.

Step One

Make sure you are not signed into a Google account.

Step Two

You can use a private browser window, or incognito if you are using Chrome.

Internet Explorer      Ctrl+Shift+P

Chrome                     Ctrl+Shift+N                                     

FireFox                      Ctrl+Shift+P

Step Three 

If you want to take it a step further you can delete your browsing history.

Internet Explorer      Click Tools > Delete Browsing History

Chrome                     Click on the button on the right of the address bar > History > Clear Browsing Data

Firefox                       Click Firefox > Preferences > Clear Your Recent History > Clear Now (Ensuring you tick ‘browsing and download history’ and ‘clear cache’)

New this month in Key Note

Market Reports - Out Now

New for March 2014

Bus & Coach Operators *

Business & Professional Magazines *

Canned Foods *

Cosmetic Surgery *

Frozen Foods *

Household Detergents & Cleaners

Ice Creams & Frozen Desserts

Meat & Meat Products *

Music Industry

Toiletries *

Training *

* These reports now contain dynamic financial data and league tables (updated monthly) for the top companies in these markets.

Click on a title above to see the report - you will need to log in to access the full report if you are not in College.

World Book Day 2014

The LRCs celebrated this years World Book Day with a Desert Island theme.

Students and staff at all three College got involved in the activities and told us which book they would take to a Desert Island to keep them entertained. Which book would you take?

Guildford College LRC

• 41 staff and students wrote on our Desert Island book wall telling us which book they would take with them. Answers ranged from Harry Potter to Lord of the Flies.
• 17 students guessed the mystery book was 'Life of Pi' and Jessica Marney (CACHE) was the winner of a copy of the book.
• 28 students completed the book title picture quiz and Sony Purja (BTEC Applied Science) was the winner of the £10 Amazon voucher.
• 14 Entry Level students attended a Pirate theme storytelling event.

Merrist Wood LRC

• 15  students entered the book title picture quiz and Katie Wilson (BTEC Animal Management) won the £10 Amazon voucher.
• 30 Desert Island Disc entries - 15 Staff and 15 Students

Farnham College LRC

• 24 students completed the book title picture quiz and Roxana Upfield was the winner.
• 53 students completed the British Isles quiz and Chloe Shaw was the winner. 
• 24 students wrote on the Desert Island book wall.

Thank you to everyone one took part!

Top e-books in Februrary

Business keeps top spot  in February's top ten e-books by pages viewed.  We have new entries this month for Tourism in at number 4 and Arboriculture at number 6.

Here's February's chart:

2135   BTEC Level 3 National Business Book 1
1736   BTEC Level 3 Business Book 2 
404     Beauty Therapy. - 3rd ed.
315     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 1
252     Official guide to body massage
155     Trees: their natural history   
154     BTEC Level 3 Nastional in IT
82       Integration in counselling and psychotherapy
77       Beauty therapy fact file
75       Nutrition in essence

4 Book Challenge!

In Celebrating Words Week the LRCs launched the 4 Book Challenge!

The challenge, for those that accepted it, was to read 4 books and fill in a reading diary before the 10th January for a chance to win a Kindle Fire HD which was generously donated by Student Services.

A total of 157 students from all three Colleges took part in the challenge and 24 completed it! 

Here is Aqeel Zaman, Vice President of the Students Union picking the winner....

The winner of the Kindle Fire HD is Natasha Popham (BTEC L3 Creative Media, Guildford College). Here she is collecting her prize from Karen Robinson, Head of Learning and Standards, (right) and Hannah Bennett, Assistant Librarian (left).

Here are a few comments from students who took part in the challenge.

"It’s likely I would have read this much anyway however the idea of the challenge and I’d love to win ha ha. It’s nice to be rewarded for what you love!" (Lauren)

"It has become a hobby to read books. Great Challenge :)" (Isbah)

"It was nice being able to read stories and books I don't usually read. It's definitely been a good experience." (Bethany)

Thank you to all the students who took part and look out for next year's challenge!

Top e-books in January

Business keeps top spot  in January's top ten e-books by pages viewed followed by Beauty Therapy, IT, and Counselling.

Here's January's chart:

3937   BTEC Level 3 National Business Book 1
1000   BTEC Level 3 Business Book 2 
871     Beauty Therapy. - 3rd ed.
381     BTEC Level 3 National in IT
143     Beauty therapy. - 2nd ed.
133     MS Visual Basic.net programming for the absolute beginner
89       Exploring corporate strategy: text & cases   
62       Aromatherapy: therapy basics
60       Syngress IT security project management handbook
58       Standards in ethics for counselling in action
   

The top downloaded books for January were:

11  Exploring corporate strategy: text & cases
11  Trees: their natural history
7    Trees & forests: a colour guide
6    The planting design handbook
5    How children learn

Half term opening

All three LRCs will be CLOSED on Wednesday 12 February for the staff training day.

Half term: Monday 17 February - Friday 21 Februrary

Guildford College

The LRC will be open every day in half term.
9.30 - 4.30

e-resources week 2014

e-resources week saw a total of 56 students drop-in to the LRCs to find out more about  accessing e-books and e-resources including mySearch.

We also had 18 students complete our quiz with 3 students winning £10 printing vouchers. These students were Sally Thompson (GC), Sacha Rivett (MW) and Harriet Bragg (FC).

mySearch allows you to search most of the LRCs e-resources in one place!



Dawsonera is one of our e-book platforms and allows you to access and download e-books to your PC and portable devices such as iPads.

If you would like to find out more about these e-resources and the others that are available to staff and students please pop into your LRC and ask!