3000 NE Fourth Street  Renton, WA 98056  (425)235-2331

Library Blog

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November 6, 2009

Library Catalog Will Be Down November 14. 

The RTC Library catalog will not be available on Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 7:30AM to 4PM.  The catalog's server will be down for scheduled maintenance.  

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10 AM

November2, 2009

Credo is Now Available! 

Credo is now available on the RTC Library database page at:  http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm.  Credo has titles such as The Dictionary of Accounting, Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology, Black Firsts, The Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science, and over 400 other titles. Check it out!

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12 PM

October 28, 2009

Coming Soon: Credo. 

RTC Library will soon be offering a new database called Credo.  Credo holds over 450 encyclopedias and dictionaries on health, food,  history, business, music, literature, biography and more.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12 PM

October 13, 2009

CAMIO Debuts. 

CAMIO - Catalog of Art Museum Images Online - is a collection of images of  paintings, drawings, sculptures, jewelry and other decorative arts, from the world's most prominent museums.  If you need a picture for a paper or a presentation, try CAMIO. Find it on the library database page at:  http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12 PM

October 5, 2009

Gale Articles Read Aloud. 

Many of the articles found in the Gale Virtual Reference Library now have a “ReadSpeaker” button at the top.  Click on this button and you will hear the article read to you.  You can also download the audio file in MP3 format.  See the library database page at:  http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm for the Gale Virtual Reference Library.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 3 PM

September 24, 2009

ProQuest Will be down Saturday Evening through Sunday Morning. 

The ProQuest Database will be down for maintenance from Saturday, Sept 26, at 7 PM, through Sunday, Sept 27, 7AM. All of RTC's other databases, including CINAHL, eLibrary, and Groliers, will be unaffected.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 9 AM

September 21, 2009

ProQuest Makes it Easier to Find Company and Industry Information. 

Need to find information about an industry, company or country?  ProQuest database now makes it easier to find forecasts, industry analysis, annual reports and more.  Just go to ProQuest (through the RTC Library database page) and click on the "Browse" tab.  You'll be offered your choice of industry and market research, company reports, country reports and commodity reports.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 9 AM

September 16, 2009

EbscoHost HealthSource Nursing/Academic and Consumer Edition Databases Dropped. 

Due to budgetary constraints, the Library has dropped two databases, EbscoHost HealthSource Nursing/Academic and HealthSource Consumer Edition. We still offer CINAHL with Full Text, which indexes over 2,950 nursing and allied health journals and contains the full text of nearly 600 of those titles.  ProQuest also offers many health-related titles. 

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1 PM

September 10, 2009

Gale Encyclopedias Has a New Look. 

The Gale Encyclopedias database (accessed through the RTC Library database page) has  a new look and  new features. You can sort your searches in new ways, choose to have articles read aloud, and see their version of an APA or MLA citation for the article. There are encyclopedias on science, health, culture, history, education, and law.  Try the new Gale Encyclopedias today! 

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 11 AM

August 7, 2009

Summer Quarter Ends Next Week - Library Hours Will Change 

RTC's summer quarter ends Wednesday, August 12. The library will begin interim hours on August 13.  We will be open from 8AM-4PM Monday through Friday, from August 13 to September 15.  Regular hours will resume September 16. 

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10 AM

July 29, 2009

Reference USA has a New Look! 

ReferenceUSA, a directory of US companies with contact and industry information, has new features and a new, improved search screen. ReferenceUSA lets you search by product or service, phone number, zip code, number of employees, and many other search criteria.  To try it out, go to our database page and select ReferenceUSA. 

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10 AM

July 18, 2009

Coming Soon: Camio! 

Coming soon, a new database: Camio.  Camio is a collection of pictures of mankind's "creative output" throughout the ages, including photographs, paintings, textiles, architecture and more. Need the perfect picture to illustrate your report?  Try Camio. 

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 3 PM

July 7, 2009

The eLibrary database has a new look. 

As of July 1, eLibrary - a collection of reference books, magazine articles, TV transcripts, pictures and websites on news, history, the arts and sciences - has a new front page and new features.  You can create  your own account and save lists of useful resources, make timelines and slideshows, and more. Just go to the RTC Library database page, http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm, and try it out.  (If  you're off-campus, you'll need to log in, using your student number and last name.) Let us know what you think of it. 

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 9 AM

June 30, 2009

The Library Will Be Closed July 3rd. 

The Library will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2009, in observance of the July 4th holiday. Regular hours will resume July 6, 2009.  Have a happy Fourth of July!

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 11 AM

June 25, 2009

June 30 is Between Quarter break - And the Library is Open! 

There are no classes at RTC on June 30, but the library will be open. Our hours will be  from 8AM to 4PM.  Regular hours will resume July 1.

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 11 AM

June 17, 2009

Want to Renew an RTC Library Book Online?

We've just posted a tutorial showing you how to do it.  Go to the Library Services and Information page at http://www.rtc.edu/library/services.htm#Collections and look for the link that says "Renewing Items". Click on the link and you'll see how easy it is to renew an RTC library book over the internet.

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 3:00 PM

June 15, 2009

ProQuest Will Be Down in June 27-28.

Due to regularly scheduled maintenance, the ProQuest databases will be down between 7PM Saturday, June 27, and 7AM, Sunday, June 28 2009.   During this times, you will not be able to search ProQuest for journal, magazine, or newspaper articles.  We appreciate your patience.

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12:00 PM

April 30, 2009

QuestionPoint Reference Chat Will Be Down Briefly May 2-3.

Due to software updates, the QuestionPoint Reference chat service will be down for   2 1/2 hours between 11:30PM Saturday May 2, and 1AM Sunday, May 3, 2009.   During this times, you will not be able to request online reference chat.  The service will resume at 1 AM. We appreciate your patience.

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 11:40 AM

February 4, 2009

Need Reference Help?  Like Internet Chat?  RTC Library Offers  Question Point Chat.

RTC Library now offers  24-hour-a-day chat reference help.  If the library is open, you can always give us a call. But if you’d prefer to use a chat service, then try Question- Point.

To access QuestionPoint, go to the bottom of the Library Home  page.  You’ll see a picture that looks like this:

Click on the picture and you’ll be taken to a page that offers a chat reference form. (It also offers an email form, if you want to ask a question via email, or our phone number, if you'd like to call us instead.)

 POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 8:00 AM

January 12, 2009

Another New Resource Added: World Conflicts Today.

We've added a  new web resource. World Conflicts Today offers information on 10 conflicts that shape our world.  It currently covers Afghanistan,  the Basque Country, Chechnya, Columbia, Darfur, Iraq,  Jammu and Kashmir, the Korean Peninsula, Northern Ireland, and the Palestinian Territories. 

To take a look, just go to the database page and click on World Conflicts Today. If you're off campus, be prepared to type in your student number and  your last name.  This resource is available 24 hours a day.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10:00 AM

November 19, 2008

Effective January 1, 2009, ProQuest Loses Rights to Seattle Times Full Text.

ProQuest will no longer offer the full text of articles from the Seattle Times after December 31, 2008.  It will still index the contents of the paper.

The RTC community can still find the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's full text on ProQuest.  And if you find a Seattle Times article that you need, contact the library.  We will put in an Interlibrary Loan request for you. 

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 3:00 PM

September 15, 2008

NEW!  We've Added CINAHL With Full-Text.

We've added a new Nursing and Allied health database!  Now you can search CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health) through our database page. CINAHL offers over 600 full-text health-related titles. 

Remember, if you're off-campus, you can still search CINAHL or any of our other online resources.  Just go to the database page, click on the title you want to search, and be prepared to type in your student number and  your last name.  You can search any of these databases 24 hours a day.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 11:30 PM

August 8, 2008

New Operating Hours Beginning September 17, 2008.

RTC library will have a new schedule, beginning Sept 17, 2008. 

 The library will be open:

Monday - Thursday      7AM-8PM

Friday                          7 AM-4:30PM

The library will be closed Saturday and Sunday.

 During the interim (August 9-September 16) the library will be open Monday- Friday, 8AM-5PM.

 If you have any questions, please call us at (425) 235-2331.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:30 PM

August 5, 2008

The Library Catalog Will Be Offline August 12-14, 2008.

Due to a software upgrade, the RTC library catalog will be off-line, Wednesday through Friday, August 12 – 14, 2008. If you need to find library materials, please call the library at ext. 2331, or ask any staff member in the library for help.

The online databases, including encyclopedias and journals articles through ProQuest and EBSCOhost, will still be available. See: http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm

 If you have any questions, please call us at (425) 235-2331.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:30 PM

July 17, 2008

Beginning August 9, 2008, the library will be closed on Saturdays.

The Library Catalog and databases will still be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm . 

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 9:00 AM

June 10, 2008

Finished - Flickr.com Picture Pool: Twelve Months at RTC Library

We've just finished posting pictures of one year in the life of RTC library at Flickr.com.  We want to give our patrons a preview of the library, to allow them to make our acquaintance before they walk in the door.  It can be found at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8906334@N05/

Pictures include the old library in the basement of the J building, breaking ground for the TRC and the library as it is today. There are pictures showing library instruction, new books and videos added to the library, the library archives and much more. 

Please come and see us at Flickr.com.   

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10:00 AM

June 6, 2008

One year of Educational Media.

Click here to see the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth  issues of Educational Media, RTC Library's online newsletter on great multimedia for your classroom.  Issue ten looks at "soft skills" - those interpersonal skills workers need to thrive in the workplace.  Issue eleven looks at videos and DVDs on teaching skills - how to give an exciting lecture, how to grade effectively and fairly, and teaching students with disabilities. And issue twelve looks at all the wonderful new titles we bought this year.  

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 2:00 PM

March 25, 2008

GreenFILE, a database of environmental journals, added to the database page.

We've added a link to the GreenFILE, a free database on environmental issues from EBSCO, to the Library's database page.  It looks at journal articles and government reports on subjects from alternative fuels to global warming.  

You can try out this resource by going to  the RTC database page at http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm. Just scroll to the bottom and look for GreenFILE under "Free Databases". 

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 8:30 AM

January 3, 2008

Two More Titles Added to RTC Library's Gale resources.

RTC Library has acquired two new Gale titles:

•     Biotechnology: Changing Life through Science

•     Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health – 2^nd edition.

These are electronically available to our patrons through the RTC database page. Just click on the "Gale Encyclopedias" link (and, if you're off campus, log in.) 

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10:30 PM

January 2, 2008

EbscoHost Visual Search Has A New Look.

EbscoHost's visual search has a new look.  Now you can choose between seeing your search and results in columns or blocks.  When you open EbscoHost and click on the "Visual Search" tab, you will see a tutorial on how to read these new options.  If you're ready to search, you can skip the tutorial.

EbscoHost is available to our patrons through the RTC database page. Just click on the "EbscoHost" link (and, if you're off campus, log in.) 

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 2:30 PM

October 31, 2007

World Almanac Added to the RTC Database Page.

We've added a new database!  Now you can search Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia and four almanacs (World Almanac and Book of Facts, World Almanac of the USA, World Almanac of US Politics and the World Almanac for Kids) on our database page.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 2:30 PM

September 17, 2007

New! Microsoft Office 2007 on the Library Computers.

The Library computers now feature Microsoft Office 2007.  Word, PowerPoint, Excel and the other programs have a brand new look. For more information, see this Microsoft page, Get Started with the 2007 Microsoft Office System.

This new software version includes new file extensions. For example, the default Word extension is now .docx instead of .doc.  When you save a document in Office 2007, it will save the document in the new format unless you select a different one. If you save a document using the .docx format (or .pptx or .xllx) and then try to work on it on a computer with Word 1997-2003, the older Office version will not recognize the file.

Microsoft has created a software package which should allow the older version of the software to recognize the new file format.  For more information about this software see  Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats page. 

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12:00 PM

August 7, 2007

Wireless Network Service Interruption.

The Library wireless network will be unavailable due to software upgrades,  from Friday, August 10 through Friday, August 24, 2007.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 11:00 AM

August 2, 2007

A New Look for the Library Catalog.

We've changed the look of the library catalog.  Click here or go to http://renton.library.ctc.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=first to see our new, sleeker look.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:00 PM

June 20, 2007

Twelve Months at RTC Library

We are beginning to post pictures of life in RTC library at Flickr.com.  We want to give our patrons a preview of the library, to allow them to make our acquaintance before they walk in the door. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8906334@N05/

This month, we've posted establishing shots - the library as it is today. In later months we will post other pictures showing the old library, the construction of the TRC, the start of the new quarter, and some of the resources available at the library. 

Please come and see us at Flickr.com.   

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10:00 AM

June 1, 2007

Oxford Reference Online Resources Added!

RTC Library has acquired new electronic resources from Oxford University Press; over 150 handbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries  available to our patrons through the RTC database page or through RTC's online catalog. To access them through the database page, just click on the "Oxford Reference Online" link (and, if you're off campus, log in.)  New titles include:

• Dictionary to the Body

• Dictionary of the Internet

• Oxford Essential Dictionary of Foreign Terms in English

• An A-Z of Food and Drink

• Food and Fitness: A Dictionary of Diet and Exercise

• Oxford Companion to American Law

• Visual English Dictionary

• World Maps

• Dictionary of Ecology

And many more!

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 2:00 PM

April 19, 2007

New Gale Resources Added!

RTC Library has acquired new Gale encyclopedias and dictionaries - electronically available to our patrons through the RTC database page. Just click on the "Gale Encyclopedias" link (and, if you're off campus, log in.)  New titles include:

• Encyclopedia of Education

• Encyclopedia of Food and Culture

• National Survey of State Laws

• Enfermedades and Trastornos de la Salud (Human Diseases and Conditions)

• Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America

• Gale Encyclopedia of Science

• Child Development

• Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology (2nd ed.)

• Psychologists and Their Theories for Students

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:00 PM

February 9, 2007

Educational Media on Safety.

Click here to see the eighth  issue of Educational Media.  This issue looks at videos and DVDs teaching safety in the workplace.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 2:00 PM

September 12, 2006

Now Available -  The Latest Issue of Educational Media.

Click here to see the seventh  issue of Educational Media.  This issue looks at videos and DVDs teaching basic mathematics, writing, computer and  interpersonal skills.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 2:00 PM

June 22, 2006

Now Available -  The Latest Issue of Educational Media.

Click here to see the sixth  issue of Educational Media.  This time the focus is on job hunting resources available in RTC Library and on the web.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 2:00 PM

June 20, 2006

Coming Soon - A New Number for Logging into the RTC Library Databases from Off-Campus.

Starting with Summer Quarter, 2006, when you log into the RTC databases from off-campus, you will be using your RTC student number, rather than your RTC Library number.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10:00 AM

March 30, 2006

Now available -  Another issue of Educational Media.

Click here to see the fifth issue of Educational Media.  Find out about some RTC library services you may not have know about before.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 10:00 AM

September 19, 2005

RTC Library Adds 3 New Databases.

RTC Library has added three new online databases! 

• Ethnic NewsWatch – Now as part of ProQuest, you can search Ethnic NewsWatch.  This database covers over 200 magazines and newspapers from the US’s ethnic and minority communities. Sample titles include: Tundra Times (Native American), Arab American News,  Asian Week, Boston Irish Reporter, and Black Professional. Many titles are in English and Spanish.

•  Alt-Press Watch - Also new, as a part of ProQuest, you can search  over 180 magazines from alternative and independent presses. Sample titles include: Alternative Press Review, GEO: Grassroots Economic Organizing, Mouth: Voice of the Disability Nation, Social Anarchism, and Youth Today. These titles are selected to offer different opinions and viewpoints from the mainstream press.

•  CultureGrams is a database that offers information on the culture of over 180 nations, covering such topics as education and family life, dating and diet, the government, the arts, and the economy.  It also includes population statistics, maps, and pictures for each country.  Note: this database has an unfortunate habit of reloading when you try to leave.  You have to use the History button (the down-pointing arrow next to the green-and-white Back button) to go back to the RTC website – or just type in the URL of the next place you want to visit.)

To see the complete list of RTC Library Online databases, go to http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm .

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:00 PM

September 8, 2005

Web Resources for Constitution Day.

Click here for links to the US Constitution Center and other invaluable sites on the constitution.  Also links to lesson plans and other instructor resources for teaching about the Constitution.  Other links take you to state constitutions, other national constitutions, and historical constitutions - including the Code of Medina and the Magna Charta.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:00 PM

August 11, 2005

Now available -  The 3rd issue of Educational Media.

Click here to see the third issue of Educational Media.  Find out how your RTC peers are using the web to educate their students and build community in the classroom.  And learn what DVDs and books RTC Library offers on building websites, education and the internet.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:00 PM

July 9, 2005

Art in the Technology Resource Center.

Curious about the art in and around the library?  Check out the new web page Art in the TRC, at http://www.rtc.edu/library/ArtLibrary.htm

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:00 PM

Friday, May 27, 2005

Coming Soon -  Machine translation of ProQuest articles.

In June, 2005, ProQuest will be offering machine translations of articles in its databases. You will be able to request a translation of an article into: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian, Polish, Chinese-simplified, Chinese-traditional, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish.

Machine translation is not a perfect translation. It is a word-for-word translation of an article.  It is sufficient to give you the basic meaning of the article.

To get to ProQuest, go to the Library database page (http://www.rtc.edu/library/database.htm) and click on the ProQuest link.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12:00 PM

Friday, January 14, 2005

Now available -  the Special Copyright Edition of Educational Media.

Click here to see the second issue of Educational Media.  This special issue looks at copyright issues in education.   Can you legally show your class that television program you taped last night?  How much of that book can you copy for your class?  What is the RTC policy on copying copyrighted materials?  Refresh your copyright knowledge.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12:00 PM

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Thursday,  December 30, 2004

New databases added!

The library has added four new Groliers databases.

° Lands and People - descriptions of countries and the culture of their people.

° New Book of Popular Science -  articles on science and medical topics

° Encyclopedia Americana

° Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia

Please come to our database page and try out this wonderful new source.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 1:15 PM

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Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Off-campus users of the Library databases: Browser requirements to view Ebscohost databases will be changing in 2005.

If you use RTC library databases from Ebscohost - either HealthSource or Auto Repair Reference Center - you will need to make sure your browser meets the following standards.  The following message is from Ebscohost:

"Please note that effective January 1, 2005, EBSCOhost ... will have new minimum browser requirements:

• Netscape 7.x
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
• Macintosh minimum requirements: Safari 1.2x or Netscape 7.x "

Firefox by Mozilla will also be supported. If you want to view "text only" the requirements will not change .

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 4:00 PM

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Friday, October 1, 2004

Educational Media - a newsletter about multi-media use at Renton Technical College - debuts.

Click here to see the first issue of Educational Media.  This issue includes articles on how Noreen Light (Dispatch), John Mundy (Ford ASSET) and Marcia Arthur (ESL) use a wide variety of multimedia tools for their classes.  It also includes information on campus multimedia resources, and videos, DVDs, and audiotapes carried at Renton Technical College Library.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 12:00 PM

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Thursday, July 29, 2004

Library web site logs 50,000 visit

On Thursday, July 29, RTC Library registered the 50,000th visit to its web page.  The page, which debuted in September, 2003, has been up for less than a year.

POSTED BY RTC LIBRARY AT 3:15 PM

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Friday, June 11, 2004

Welcome to RTC Library's Blog!

This is Renton Technical College Library's News and Announcements page.

We hope you'll check back on a regular basis and see what's new at the Library.

posted by RTC Library at 3:30 PM

Last updated: 10/30/09                               Back to RTC Library Home