MacBook Pro at Vera Bracken Library

The library has acquired a new MacBook Pro computer for students toborrow.  The MacBook can be borrowed for4 hours at a time.

Save Your Borrowing History!

By default, Library Services does not track your borrowing history (i.e., once returned, we do not know what books, periodicals, videos, etc. you borrowed).

If you want to track your personal borrowing history, you need to log-in to your library account and opt in to that feature. Library Services staff do not have access to your borrowing history if you elect to track it—assuring your privacy.

To opt in, follow these directions:

STEP 1: Log in to your library account (see Figure 1). You can log-in from the Library Services homepage or the online catalogue.

Figure 1. Library account log-in page (click to enlarge).

STEP 2: Select "Reading History" from the left-hand column (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Select "Reading History"
(click to enlarge).

STEP 3: Select the "Opt In" button. It will then switch to "Opt Out" (see Figure 3). NOTE: Your record will start to build/retain your checkout history when you next borrow an item.

Figure 3. Opting in (click to enlarge).

VIEW YOUR HISTORY

When you next log-in to your library account and select the "Reading History" option, your borrowing history will be displayed (see Figure 4). NOTE: You can opt out to stop the tracking history or delete selected records.

Figure 4. Borrowing history display (click to enlarge).

If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please make use of our information or social media services.

Blog Updated

Original Blog Design and New Look

After many years of service, the Library Services Blog has updated its look. The blog will continue to function as a source for Library Services' achievements, history, services information, and updates. It will function in conjunction with our other current social media sites such as Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter.

We hope you like the new look and watch as we continue to layer additional services into the updated blog design.

Kobo eReader Touch Edition: More to Love About E-books

Library Services has added two new Kobo eReaders to its collection. These new e-book readers are the Kobo eReader Touch Edition model, which means you will no longer need to use the direction pad found on older models to "turn pages" like you did with our older Kobo eReaders.

Kobo eReader Touch Edition

The new readers each contain more than 50 popular titles, plus more than 100 popular public domain titles that will satisfy the interests of almost any patron. To view the availability and contents of each new reader, select either:

• Kobo eReader 4
  
• Kobo eReader 5

Regardless of which of the five Kobo eReaders you borrow from Library Services, all will feature Jessica Grant's Come Thou, Tortoise—Medicine Hat One Book One Community's 2011 book selection!

The new e-readers also feature better quality screens, faster response times, and less "page turning" screen flicker than previous versions. Like the previous versions, the new readers feature microSD card slots that allow our patrons to view their own compatible e-books and files on the devices. For complete technical specifications and information on compatible file types that can be viewed on the Kobo eReader Touch Edition, click here.

Patrons of the Vera Bracken Library can ask for an available device from the Circulation Desk, while Brooks patrons can  see the Services Desk at the Brooks Campus Library.

Text Message a Record from the Online Catalogue

Library Services has introduced a new feature in our online catalogue. This feature will allow patrons to text message the primary information of a record to themselves. The information that will be texted includes: title, call number, and location.

WHY?

• With this service, patrons do not have to write down the record information to retrieve the material from the shelves. Patrons will also be able to retain that record information on their cellular device.  

HOW IT WORKS

1. When in a record, look for the "Send via Text Message" text and icon (see Figure 1) and click it.



Figure 1. "Send via Text Message."
(click to enlarge)

2. In the dialogue box (see Figure 2) enter your cellular phone number with all 10 digits (without dashes, spaces, etc.).

   

   Figure 2. Enter cellular number.
   (Click to enlarge)

   You will also need to select your cellular provider (see Figure 3; we currently provide service to all of Canada's major cellular providers).
   
   

   

   Figure 3. Available cellular providers.

3. Click "Send" and a "Message sent!" dialogue box will appear.
   
   If you decide not to send a text, click "Clear" to return to the record.
   
   
4. You will then receive a text message similar to the one in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Received record information.

WHAT ABOUT QR CODES?

• This services does not replace the use of QR codes in the catalogue—it is a complement or alternate means of delivery to the use of QR codes.

Special thanks to our partners at the University of Lethbridge that made this service possible.

Please note that charges may apply if your service plan does not include free/unlimited text messaging. If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please make use of our information or social media services.

Windows 7 & Upgraded Network Wiring

Library Services has always tried to take a leading roll in experimenting and implementing new technologies in the college. Over the past week Information Technology Department (ITS) has been upgrading our student computers with Windows 7.

For those people that were not fans of the Vista stations, we hope that you will be pleased with this implementation. The machines will continue to provide the Microsoft Office 2007 Professional suite of applications, Adobe Photoshop Elements, SMART Board and Classroom Performance System tools, and more.

Additionally, ITS and Pro Comm have been upgrading the network cables in the Vera Bracken Library, which should translate into a faster and smoother network experience on those computers.

There is more to come, so stay tuned as we continue to move forward and coordinate with ITS to enhance your computing experience in the libraries.

Mango Languages: Language Learning Resource Added

Library Services has added Mango Languages to its list of database resources. Mango Languages is an online language instruction program that will help develop a user’s knowledge of a particular language, in the following fields: comprehension, cultural insight, grammar, pronunciation, retention, and vocabulary.

Mango Languages currently provides instruction in 34 languages, which are:

Arabic (Levantine) Chinese (Cantonese) Chinese (Mandarin) Croatian Czech Danish Dari Dutch Farsi (Persian) Finnish French German Greek Haitian Creole Hebrew Hindi Indonesian

Irish Italian Japanese Korean Norwegian Pashto Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Slovak Spanish (Latin America) Tagalog Tamil Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese

You can learn more by visiting Mango Languages TV.

Mango Languages can be accessed on and off campus by faculty, staff, and students of Medicine Hat College; to directly connect to the resource, click here.

Mango Languages, as well as other databases, can be located on the Library Services website in the Databases section. It will be listed alphabetically under the Complete Database List or the Language Learning links.

If you have any questions, please contact the library's Information Desk via email, instant messenger, text message (403.866.5872), telephone (403.504.3544), or in person.

---

NOTE: Library Services' subscription to Tell Me More, our other languages learning resource, will be discontinued on 31 August 2011.

Stay United With Your Flash Drive!

Due to their small size, it is very easy to lose a flash drive. In some cases, it is the loss of the information that is more infuriating than the loss of the actual physical device.

Fortunately there are many Good Samaritans at Medicine Hat College and lost flash drives are regularly turned in to us. Library Services does try to reunite flash drives with their owners by identifying names in files and sending an email to *@mymhc.ca accounts.

---

Basic File Naming &
Contact Information
(Click to enlarge.)

HELP US TO HELP YOU

Provide Contact Information

You can help us connect you to your lost drive by including a simple little text file (*.txt) that provides basic contact information. Your name and *@mymhc.ca should be sufficient information—never provide ID numbers or other confidential information.

Naming the Text File

When naming the text file with the contact information, give it an obvious/simple name. Some examples are: CONTACT INFORMATION, IF LOST CONTACT, OWNER INFO, etc.

---

If you think your flash drive was lost in any place other than the library, please check with the Information Technology Help Desk (B223) or the Security office (F128)—both desks have lost & founds as well.

Please note that in cases where ownership of a flash drive is not obvious (e.g., numerous names in files), we do not send an email, so please check with any of the aforementioned service desks for assistance. Additionally, we do not send emails to accounts other than *@mymhc.ca.

QR Codes: Information in an Instant

WHAT ARE THEY?

You might have seen an image such as the one to the left, but were not aware of its purpose. The image is called a quick response (QR) code and it is a two dimensional barcode.

QR codes can hold a variety of information that could include: calendar events, contact information, phone numbers, plain text, text messages, URLs, and more.

The QR code's purpose is to connect you to information quickly. You will find them embedded in print advertising (take a look at a movie poster when you are at a theatre), websites, television commercials, and more.

HOW DO YOU READ THEM?

To read a QR code, you need the following:

1. A web-enabled phone with a camera. The 4th generation iPod Touch will also be able to read QR codes with a Wi-Fi connection.
    
2. A QR code reading application. Free or low cost applications are readily available from your device’s app store. The i-nigma Reader is a popular reader that is freely available and compatible with a variety of handsets.
   
   Phones running Google Android and modern Nokia handsets have the QR code reader built-in.
    
3. Scan the QR code. With your QR code reading application, scan the QR and retrieve the information encoded in it.

HOW WILL THE LIBRARY BE USING THEM?

To start, Library Services will employ QR codes in the following ways:

Library Catalogue

QR Codes in the Catalogue
[Click to enlarge.]

• You will start to see QR codes in the library’s online catalogue records.
  
  You can perform your search on a computer, capture the QR code with your mobile device, and have its record information displayed on the device. The information will include the title, location, call number, etc. You will no longer need to record the information on a piece of paper; it will now be conveniently accessible on your mobile device.

Library Promotions & Signage

QR Codes in Library Ads
[Click to enlarge.]

• You will also start to see QR codes in some of Library Services’ promotional materials and signs. These QR codes will provide supplemental information and links related to library activities.

Library Services will continue to explore different means of implementing QR codes to facilitate access to information easily and quickly.

---

How to Use QR Codes

New TVs in Group Study Rooms

In January, the Vera Bracken Library took receipt of 5 new HD (720p) televisions and DVD/VCR combo players for the Group Study Rooms. The new televisions feature a 32" panoramic display, which is a significant improvement over the the previous 19" CRT televisions.

The Group Study Rooms provide a convenient place for students to perform group projects in by giving them an environment that allows them to focus on the work at hand or have discussions.

ABOUT THE GROUP STUDY ROOMS:

• Faculty, staff, and students can book the Group Study Rooms.
  
  
• Rooms can be booked for as long as 2 hours.
  
  
• Access is granted on a first-come, first-serve basis—sign-up sheets for the current week are outside each room.
  
  
• Booking for subsequent weeks can be made at the Circulation Desk.
  
  
• Groups requiring a room take precedence over any one individual occupying any Group Study Room.
  
  
• If a group is 10 minutes late, the room goes to the next waiting group.
  
  
• The rooms also have access to basic cable television and whiteboards for collaboration—whiteboard erasers and markers can be checked-out from the Circulation Desk.
  

Lost Your USB Drive? Check @mymhc.ca E-mail

The Vera Bracken Library not only houses an excellent collection of audiovisual media, books, periodicals, and more, but it is also home to a large collection of a discarded or lost USB flash drives.

Currently the library has more than 65 USB flash drives that are unclaimed. Library Services staff do make an effort to reconnect the owners with their drives though. More than 90% of the owners have been contacted via their @mymhc.ca student e-mail accounts, but the drives still go unclaimed. Drives that are not claimed prior to the start of the subsequent semester will be reformatted and distributed to students that will make use of them.

So please, check your official college e-mail and see if your lost USB drive is waiting for you at the Vera Bracken Library's Information Desk.

If you think that you lost your USB drive anywhere else on-campus, please see the Information Technology Help Desk (second floor of B-wing) or the Security Office (F-128).

A Colour Copier That Does More . . .

The Vera Bracken Library has added a colour photocopier to its repertoire of services.

The new copier can do more than print in colour though; it adds the following new features as well:

• Duplex (double-sided) printing. This feature will help conserve paper which is good for the environment and backpacks.
  
• A document feed tray. This is a great feature for duplicating large articles from the Reserve Collection that students might want to retain for studying purposes.
  
• USB printing of PDFs. Patrons of the library can print files that are in the PDF format from their flash drives to the photocopiers via the copier's onscreen interface.

The copier can duplicate/print to legal and letter sized paper. Costs for duplicating are as follows:

• black & white:
  
  • $.10 (single-sided)
  • $.20 (double-sided)


• colour
  
  • $.50 (single-sided)
  • $1 (double-sided)
    

Assistance with the new machine can be provided by the Circulation Desk staff.

E-mail Information Services: Farewell AAQ, Hello to Us

After successfully participating in The Alberta Library's (TAL) Ask A Question (AAQ) e-mail information service for the more than 10 years, Medicine Hat College Library Services will be venturing out and launching its own in-house e-mail information service.

With our new submission form, we have streamlined the process to submit a question and users will also be able to submit a formatted e-mail message to us.

Despite the change in service delivery, patrons can still expect the same level of quality in the answers that they will receive. The Library Services Information Desk team will also be able to reply with formatted e-mails and provide attachments if necessary, both of which are helpful for APA and MLA citation questions.
ACCESSING THE SUBMISSION FORM

Patrons can locate the e-mail submission form by selecting the "ASK A QUESTION" link on the homepage or by selecting "E-mail Information Services" via the left-hand navigation menu on any Library Services page.

If you submit a question, please "white-list" the e-mail address: askus@mhc.ab.ca. Replies from the service will be delivered via this address and whatever e-mail service you employ might flag our reply as spam.

Patrons that want to use TAL's AAQ service can still do so, but Library Services' staff will not be replying.

New College (and Library Services) Website Launched

We are 24 hours into the new website and we hope you enjoy the new look of Medicine Hat College (and Library Services in particular). This project was a long time in the making and we genuinely hope you find navigating the site an easier and more enjoyable experience.

Some new features that Library Services has added include an arrangement of tabs that will allow you to perform a variety of searches directly from our homepage. The searches that you can perform include: print and audiovisual searches of the online catalogue, article search in EBSCOhost databases, print and electronic periodical title searches, and a Google Scholar search.

Critical resources and information such as hours of operation and contact information have been promoted to the homepage. Accessing assistance, how-to guides, and placing interlibrary loan requests has also been made easier. If you need assistance navigating the site, please see the Information Desk.

College Advancement and Information Technology Services oversaw the website redesign. You can read more about what was involved in completing the project by clicking here.

---

NOTE: Older links in the blog might not be accessible because of new site deployment. If there is content that you wish to view, but the links are dead, please contact us.

Kobo & SD Cards Go Great Together

Have you wanted to read your own articles or books on one of our Kobo eReaders? Well, you can.

If you load your ePub or PDF formatted documents on an SD card (4GB maximum, not SDHC compatible), you can read your own selections on either of two Kobo eReaders that are available from the Vera Bracken Library's circulation desk. This includes PDF formatted articles that can be downloaded from the databases or any of our handy how-to guides.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

1. Provide your own or borrow an SD card from the library.
   
   
2. Load the ePub or PDF file to the card. (We also provide card readers.)
   
   
3. Plug the card into the Kobo eReader.
   
   
4. Read your files.

WHERE CAN I FIND EPUB TITLES?

There are too many public domain books for us to load onto the Kobo devices. Fortunately for fans of the classics, you can go to sites like epubBooks, ManyBooks, Project Gutenburg (and many more) and download titles for free.

You can also perform a Google search using [book title] format:epub OR pdf to search for specific titles in ePub or PDF formats (e.g., moby dick format:epub).

Changing Passwords

As a student starting at Medicine Hat College, the default user name and password follows this pattern (click here for more details):

• User name: firstname.lastname (all lowercase)
  
  
• Password: last four digits of student ID#, followed by first three letters of last name (with the first letter capitalized; e.g., 1234Las)

If you misplace your registration papers or Campus ID Card, it is possible for someone to intuit this information and access your personal accounts. To this end, it is in your interest to change these passwords.

In the past, if you changed one password, that change would be recognized/synchronized by all online services (Blackboard, computer log-in, and e-mail). These online/system services are now independent, so you will have to change them each manually. If you desire to do this, follow these directions for each:

BLACKBOARD

1. Log-in with default user name and password.
2. Select "Personal Information" in "Tools" box (left-hand side of screen).
3. Select "Change Password."
4. Enter and verify new password > click "Submit."
5. Once verified, click "OK," and continue with your Blackboard session.
6. Use your new password for your next Blackboard session.
   

COMPUTERS

1. Log-in with default user name and password.
2. Once logged in, click: Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
3. From the options, select: "Change a password..."
4. Follow onscreen directions (enter current password > enter new password > confirm new password >click "OK" or arrow buttons to continue).
   
   1. Password Creation Rules (3 of 4 conditions must be used, computers only):
      
      1. At least one upper case letter must be used.
         
      2. At least one lower case letter must be used.
         
      3. At least one number must be used.
      4. At least one special character must be used from the following set: @ # % - _ .
         
5. Change of password confirmation should be given.
6. Use your new password for your next computer session.

myMHC STUDENT PORTAL

When using the student portal, you will create your own unique password when creating this account. You can modify this password by:

1. Log-in with default user name and current password.
2. Select: "Menu" (near top left corner of portal's interface) > "My Profile" > "Change Password."
3. Enter: "Old Password" > "New Password" > "Confirm New Password" > Click: "Change Password"
4. Once verified, continue with your myMHC session.
5. Use your new password for your next myMHC session.

STUDENT E-MAIL

1. Log-in with default user name and password.
2. Select "Settings" (near top right corner of interface).
3. Select "Accounts and Import" tab.
4. Select: "Google Account settings"(in "Change account settings" area).
5. Click "Change password."
6. Enter: current password > enter new password > confirm new password > Save
7. Once confirmed, continue with you e-mail session, the next time you log-in, you will use your modified password.

If you want to test your relative password strength, click here.

For password assistance, please see the library's Information Desk or the Information Technology Services' Help Desk (located near B223 on the second floor of the B-wing).

Default User Name & Password

When logging into most online services (Blackboard, computers, and e-mail) at the college, you will initially use the following pattern:

• User name: firstname.lastname
  
  
• Password: last four digits of student ID#, followed by first three letters of last name (with the first letter capitalized)
  

For more information about the Campus ID Card, click here.

Click here to learn about changing your passwords.

Kobo E-book Reader is Here!

Library Services has added the Kobo e-book reader to its repertoire of multimedia devices available to employees and students at Medicine Hat College.

The two Kobo readers will be loaded with popular fiction titles on each, which includes:

Kobo eReader 1:

• Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything
  
  
• Lawrence Hill's Book of Negroes
  
  
• Stieg Larrson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
  
  
• Nora Roberts's Black Hills
  
  
• Danielle Steel's Family Ties: A Novel

Kobo eReader 2:

• Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist
  
  
• John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River
  
  
• Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  
  
• James Patterson's Private
  
  
• Scott Turow's Innocent

In addition to those titles, both will contain 100 classic works.

If you want to borrow one, see the Vera Bracken Library's Circulation Desk. You can borrow one for up to one week at a time and have the option of renewing it if no one else has a hold on it.

If you have any suggestions for titles that could be added, please e-mail them to: reference@mhc.ab.ca.

If you would like to know about the Kobo e-book reader, please visit their website: http://www.koboereader.com.

Office Professional Academic 2010 Edition for $89

It might not be called the Ultimate Steal anymore, but students can still purchase the Microsoft Office 2010 suite at a significant discount. As in years past, this is a legitimate offer.

Microsoft is offering the Office Professional Academic 2010 edition for Windows for $89 CAD. This suite of products contains the 2010 versions of: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, and OneNote.

To purchase this suite from academic/campus stores, a student might normally pay approximately $250. To buy the suite from other retailers, you could expect to pay as much as $650. Even for the Microsoft Office Home And Student 2010 edition (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote), you might need to spend more than $135.

To take advantage of this and other academic offers from Microsoft, click here.

Please Note:

• The Mac version of Office is not available through this offer.
• Medicine Hat College will be supporting the Office 2007 suite of products for this current academic year.

UPDATE (14 September 2010): Some students encountered an issue where the new *@mymhc.ca e-mail domain was not accepted by the offer's site. MHC Information Technology Services has resolved this issue with the vendor and students should now be able to access the offer without issue.

Interlibrary Loans' Post-to-Web is here!

WHAT IS POST-TO-WEB?

• It is a great new green delivery option from the library's Interlibrary Loans department that is designed to effectively increase your access, while decreasing your excess to acquiring periodical publications (journals, magazines, and newspapers).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

• When you select this delivery option, you can have periodical articles that you ordered sent directly to your desired e-mail account as a PDF.

BENEFITS?

• Since periodical articles that you ordered can be delivered directly to your e-mail, this means you can access the article: on-campus, in your office, at home, or anywhere else in the world. You will not need to trundle into the library on those wintry nights to retrieve your order. [Increasing your access.]
  
  
• You help save trees since paper will not be used in the delivery of the article, which is better for the environment. [Decrease your excess.]
  
  
• FREE! Despite this great new service enhancement, the service remains free to faculty, staff, and students of Medicine Hat College.

HOW TO GET IT?

• New Registrations: When you register for the service, select "Email Post to Web" in the "Delivery Method Copy:" drop-box.
  
  
  
• Existing Patrons: Log-in to your account, and access your "User Profile." In your profile, select "Email Post to Web" in the "Delivery Method Copy:" drop-box.
  

Please join us in making a difference. Think before you print!