Abbott Library Launches Freading Trial

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:12:16 +0000

From Abbott Library Director John Walden:

The Abbott Library is now offering Freading eBooks on a trial basis. This new service allows the library to increase the size and diversity of its eBook collection by offering access to tens of thousands of books, none of which require you to wait in line to download, if you see a title you like just select it and you check it out for a two week loan period, there are no waiting lists. Books can also be renewed once for another two week loan period. You will receive 5 tokens every week toward your downloads and books range from 1 to 4 tokens each. To login into your account you will need your library card number and pin number. If you need help with either of these numbers please contact us.

Freading eBooks requires that you have both Adobe Digital Edition software and an Adobe digital id. The Freading site has a good FAQ section that explains how to download the eBooks and what devices it is compatible with including the Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple Ipad and IPhone, Kindle Fire and most Android tablets and smartphones. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or problems or to schedule a tutorial session on how to download eBooks. We would also appreciate your feedback on this service so please send us an and let us know what you think of this new eBook service.

New Titles in the GVRL

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:46:48 +0000

SMHS’s Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) collection is expanding and will soon include the following titles:

Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures
Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia
Folklore, An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music, and Art
Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues

With these additions, the GVRL collection now contains over 200 reference volumes in the areas of chemistry, biology, medicine, sociology, psychology, government, history, fashion, food, law, literature, and zoology. GVRL, along with Questia, is the primary eBook database for SMHS students.

Update Your EasyBib for 2012

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:47:32 +0000

It’s time to update your EasyBib account. SMHS’s 2011 premium access has expired and you need to enter a new coupon code for 2012 in order to enjoy the full features of EasyBib. Premium access has many advantages over the free EasyBib product, including automatic parenthentical citations, auto citations from database imports like Gale and EBSCO, the new note-taking feature, and no advertisements. Update your account by logging in, choosing Settings, and then entering the new coupon code, which can be found on the Passwords page of the library website.

Online Newsstand Discontinued

admin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:10:45 +0000

The Online Newsstand has, temporarily at least, discontinued service. SMHS Library began participating in the project last year in an effort to make EBSCOhost content more easily accessible to students and staff. The founder of the Newsstand, Portsmouth Library’s Steve Butzel, has issued the following statement:

The Online Newsstand service has been put on hold as some contractual details are worked out with the service provider. We hope you’ve enjoyed the service while we’ve offered it, and we’ll be glad to help you access the library’s databases in other ways. Thanks for your patience!

Book Reviews: Copper Sun, The Social Animal, The Geography of Bliss

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:13:10 +0000

Book: Copper Sun
Reviewer: Mr. Palin
Rating & Comments: While the book’s depiction of slave capturing in Africa seems realistic, the book’s historical realism declines when the main character Amari reaches America. The story powerfully shows the cruelty of slavery, but too many scenes seem contrived merely to keep readers interested, rather than educated about the psychological and physical toll of slavery in colonial America.

Book: The Social Animal
Reviewer: Mr. Palin
Rating & Comments: The book is odd, amounting to a psychological analysis of two fictional characters, Erica and Harold. Their development, from birth to adulthood to old age, is chronicled in a story of personal and professional successes, mistakes, failures, and problem solving. At times the author seems to try overly hard to make the characters’ stories seem mainstream, and this makes parts of the book awkward and painful to read. Yet, in explaining why Harold and Erica do what they do, the book’s psychology lessons are informative and often very interesting.

Book: The Geography of Bliss
Reviewer: Mr. Palin
Rating & Comments: In search of the world’s happiest place, the author travels widely, tells of his findings, and arrives at several conclusions about what makes people happy. It seems that money helps some, low expectations a little more, and a few other things like living within cultures of limited diversity. By interacting with interesting locals in places like Holland, Switzerland, Bhutan, India, England, Qatar, and Moldova, the author adds to and revises the recipe for happiness throughout his travels.

Comment on reviews at the bottom of this page. Contribute a review by using the library’s book review form. Read more book reviews here.

Improved Access to The Times

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:34:57 +0000

The library is now offering improved access to The New York Times. As part of the library’s Classroom Subscription to The New York Times Replica Edition, students and staff can now enjoy new features, including a new listening option to hear articles read aloud and new ways to search. Although the library also provides access to back issues of The Times through its Newspaper Source database, The Replica Edition is the best way to read and browse the paper’s daily issues. A link to The Times is available on the All Databases page. The password is available on the Passwords page.

Nominate Books for NH Award

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:37:51 +0000

From the Nashua Public Library: Do you live in New Hampshire and are currently in grades 9-12? You are invited to nominate a book for the Flume: NH Teen Readers’ Choice Award. We need suggestions of fiction and nonfiction books that appeal to teens in grades 9-12, with publication dates from 2009-2011. If the book you want to suggest is part of a series, it must be able to stand alone, meaning a reader doesn’t have to read the other books in the series to understand what’s going on. To nominate a book by January 13, 2012, please following this link.

Online Newsstand

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:07:04 +0000

SMHS Library has teamed up with the Online Newsstand Project. The goal of the project is to increase use of libraries’ electronic resources by making access easier and more enjoyable. The founder of the project is Steve Butzel, a website and database developer whose real job is serving as the assistant director at the Portsmouth Public Library in Portsmouth, NH. Reading these magazine while at school requires a simple click on the magazine cover. If you’re off campus, you’ll need the EBSCO username and password available from the Passwords page.

Pre-Step: Characteristics of a Research Paper (Video)

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:54:59 +0000

Video on Research Paper Characteristics |
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Slides on Research Paper Characteristics |

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Step 1: Start with Basic Information Sources (Video)

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:33:11 +0000

Video on Completing Background Reading Before Choosing a Topic |
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Slides currently unavailable on this topic |

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