Introducing Connie Sterling - Senior Multimedia Technician

The district has recently hired a new library worker--Connie Sterling. Connie is in charge of the circulation area. Regular library users will quickly get used to seeing her smiling face, as she usually works at the front desk on the first floor. She's held jobs in libraries before. In fact, she’s earned a Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University. She also has a B.A. in English from San Diego State University.

A native of East County, Connie spent roughly eight years in Florida where she worked as a high school English teacher, and later as an elementary school librarian, a public librarian, and even a junior college librarian. She is very happy to be back in her original stomping grounds, where she now lives with her husband and two children. Connie loves gardening, cooking, and of course, reading. She encourages students to, "Come visit the library, because those of us who work here love to help--and we are very interested in helping students find information."

National Native American Heritage Month

Through the month of November there is a display in the library in recognition of
National Native American Heritage Month

On display are posters, maps, artifacts and books on Native Americans from different regions in North America. There also are items on loan from the Heritage of the Americas Museum. So stop by and check it out

The Heritage of the American Museum is located on the Cuyamaca College campus. Admittance is free with a student ID card.

Faculy Member Patricia Santana Has Written a Sequel to Motorcycle Ride

After Spanish Instructor Patricia Santana published her first book, "Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility," several English instructors in the district began teaching this poignant coming of age novel. A winner of the 1999 Chicano/Latino Literary Contest, Motorcycle Ride was also listed as one of the American Library Association's "Best Books for Young Adults" in 2003. In addition, the book was named San Diego Magazine’s 2003 Book Award winner in fiction.

In the story we are introduced to fourteen-year-old Yolanda Sahagún as she is excitedly helping her large family - nine siblings in all - prepare a "welcome home" party for her favorite brother, Chuy, who has just returned from fighting in Vietnam. Of course, Chuy re-enters this modest, albeit cozy, domestic scene in south San Diego irrevocably changed. His erratic and often scary behavior inflicts frequent emotional wounds on family members, neighbors, and friends — especially Yolanda, who still cherishes loving memories of his earlier self. Most of the time Chuy is off on his motorcycle, his long hair flying in the wind. This broken man is headed for a disaster, and the whole family knows it.

The sequel, Ghosts of El Grullo, was released last spring. In this second installment (Santana intends to complete a trilogy on the Sahagúns), Yolanda is getting ready to head off to UCSD, and she's more than a little excited about finally living on her own--away from her domineering father. Yet not long after school starts, the unexpected death of her mother pulls Yolanda home again. Eventually, she travels back to her ancestral town - El Grullo, Mexico - in search of answers about her mother's identity. And as she looks through this lens, she begins to bring her own sense of self into better focus. Meanwhile, the seventies are in full swing, nudging her to explore identity politics, feminism, and sexuality in ways her more traditional relatives find disconcerting.

If you are interested in learning more about Patricia Santana's recent book, try listening to the following interview on KBOO Radio in Portland, Oregon. Or see her in person as she discusses Ghosts of El Grullo at Grossmont College (Griffin Gate) on Wednesday, November 5 at 7:00 PM. For more information, please call 619-644-7486.

-Kari Wergeland

You may have noticed the list of Internet videos included on this blog template (to the right). They are a set of mini-lessons created by Lee and Sachi LeFever of Common Craft. In these videos, Lee LeFever highlights some of the Internet features everyone is talking about, such as RSS, social networking, and wikis. His informal approach is easy to understand, if not fun. So if you find yourself feeling like a dum-dum when such words are bantered about, take a look at some of these clips. You will at least have a better idea of what these terms mean--and you might even be inspired to learn how to use one or two Internet services. FYI, we've also set up a link on the library website to a list of Common Craft videos.

Students, Welcome Back!

The Cuyamaca College Library is here to support your college work. We offer many tools and resources - not to mention in-person expertise - to help you find the information you need to complete terrific student projects. And we strive to support both on-campus students, as well as distance learners.

It's not a bad idea to think of information as the foundation of any research project. If it isn't sound to begin with, the completed assignment will surely fall flat. However, building a strong foundation is easier said than done. Let's just say a quick and dirty Google search doesn't always cut it. Don't forget, the library purchases many electronic resources that will not pop up on Google. Indeed, becoming information literate takes time. Yet there is no doubt that information literacy will enhance your academic abilities, especially if you plan to transfer.

We like to remind people that librarians are teachers, too. Cuyamaca College librarians are always willing to sit down with a student and offer a one-on-one session on an information topic. If you are interested in a more systematic way of learning how to become a good researcher in this this increasiningly electronic information environment, try signing up for LIR 110: Research Methods in an Online World. In any event, come on in and say hello.

Good luck this fall!

Library/Learning and Technology Resource Center Puts Together Baby Basket for the Foundation Dinner Dance Auction

Employees working in the Library - Learning and Technology Resources division have pooled their money and time to create a basket for some future Cuyamaca College graduate. This basket will be auctioned off, along with a number of other goodies, at the next Cuyamaca Foundation Dinner Dance, scheduled for Saturday, May 17, at 5:30 p.m. Included in the basket are children's DVDs, a CD, educational toys, a handmade baby blanket, a pillow, a Barnes and Noble gift card, and a "college fund" piggy bank.

The annual Cuyamaca College Foundation Dinner Dance is one of the biggest fundraisers for the college. Last year the Foundation raised over $120,000. Their mission is "To provide continuous support and resources to Cuyamaca College," and they continue to award scholarships, fund capital improvements (not provided by the state), as well as fund special projcts.

There are many ways to donate to the Cuyamaca College Foundation. For more information, check out their website at http://www.cuyamaca.edu/foundation/default.asp.

Introducing the Library's New "Living Room"

The Cuyamaca College Library has just opened up a new study space called The Living Room, located in room C-219 on the second floor of the library. This spacious area - with some of the best views on campus - is officially designated as"laid back." Students will find comfortable seating, as well as tables and chairs for those who want to study in groups. A large whiteboard is also available.

While The Living Room is a hotspot for those needing wireless access, it also houses a number of desktop computers with full Internet access (yes, that means MySpace and Facebook), as well as the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite, including Access, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, Word. All of these computers are wired to a black and white printer (15 cents a page) and a color printer (75 cents a page).














We do try to create a noiseless environment in the library, especially in the quiet study area--yet talking is acceptable in The Living Room. This is a student space, and we hope students will work together to make it their own. Please let us know what you think.

New Instructional Design Technology Specialist

It is with great pleasure that I announce the arrival of Rhonda Bauerlein to our campus community as the Instructional Design Technology Specialist. Rhonda has been working at Grossmont College since 2001 as a Learning Resource Systems Specialist where she was responsible for the coordination and oversight of the library database and personal computers. In that position, she installed software and provided training and assistance to faculty, staff and students. She also maintained the library’s website and created new sites as needed. Prior to this, Rhonda developed curriculum for a Multimedia Technology program at Pikes Peak Community College and taught classes on the integration of animation, audio, video, and pictures in multimedia presentations. She also established and coordinated a Multimedia Instructional Design Center at Pikes Peak. Rhonda has a very strong technical background in the computer industry prior to her shift to academic settings. She has a Certificate in Computer Programming, a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado, and a year of coursework towards an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Educational Technology from the University of Colorado.

Connie Elder
Dean of Technology and Learning Resources

Connie Elder has been appointed as Dean of Learning & Technology Resources

After completing the search for the Dean, Learning & Technology Resources, Ms. Connie Elder has been identified as the successful candidate for the position. Ms. Elder has a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Rhode Island, a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from West Virginia University.

Ms. Elder has been a member of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District for 18 years. In those 18 years she has played a wide variety of roles and contributed to the growth and development of several subsystems. She has held such roles as Interim Manager of Instructional Computing Services (Grossmont College), Interim Associate Dean of Instructional Computing Services (Grossmont College), full time instructor in the CIS Department (Cuyamaca College) where she has been the Coordinator of the Computer and Information Science Department for eight of her eleven years at Cuyamaca. She possesses a combination of academic preparation, computer industry, teaching and administrative experiences that enable her to contribute to the development and maintenance of this position with minimal start-up time.

From 2003 – 2006 Ms. Elder was the Co-Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation Grant that developed the Institute for Telecommunications Technology here at Cuyamaca College. I believe Ms. Elder’s educational preparation, professional experiences and demonstrated commitment to students and the mission of community colleges makes her uniquely suited for the position at Cuyamaca College.

Cristina Chiriboga, Ed.D
Vice President, Instruction
Cuyamaca College