Healthy Eating Display

A display on healthy eating is currently on available in the library through the end of January. Library users will find books, e-books, DVDs, as well as posters on nutrition and healthy eating. Information on choices of good snacks, fat facts, and healthy foods are highlighted. The display can be found on both the first and second floors of the library. Come on by and take a look.

FYI: All Cuyamaca and Grossmont students are eligible to check out library materials. A current student ID is required at the time of check-out. Student IDs are available free of charge in the Counseling Office in the One-Stop Center. Students must complete the college registration process before an ID card can be issued.

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.