Volume 1 Issue 5

End of Fall Semester

As the semester wraps up and we all begin to think about the holidays, the library has been active in assisting students with end of the semester projects and papers. We are always here to assist you and your students. After the last final exam is taken, we will still be here until the college closes for break. If you need to come by to begin planning for the spring semester, we will be open and ready to help you.

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White Light Night

Librarian Lauren McAdams (front) and
Friends of Magnolia Library member Harrietta Bridges
during the Mid CityWhite Light Night.

BRCC, Magnolia Library, and the Friends of Magnolia Library, participated in the Mid City White Light Night. There were music performances in the gallery, films screened in the Black-Box Theater, and a festive atmosphere throughout. The librarians were on hand to answer questions and sell the Magnolia Library holiday ornament designed by Carrie Causey. If you haven't purchased yours yet, you can stop by and talk to any librarian or call 216-8555 for more information.

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Library Hours Revised

The library hours have been revised for finals week and in the weeks before closure for Winter Break. The week of finals (Dec, 7th-13th) the hours at Mid-City will not change. Please see the schedule below for specific library hours.

Finals Week Mid-City                 Finals Week Frazier                      Finals Week Acadian
7:30 am-9:00 pm Mon-Tue        10:30 am-1:30 pm Mon         10:00 am-2:00 pm Mon-Thur
7:30 am-6:00 pm Wed-Thu        10:30 am-1:30 pm Thu
7:30 am-5:00 pm Fri

After Finals Mid-City                     After Finals Frazier                         After Finals Acadian
8:00 am-5:00 pm Mon-Fri             CLOSED until after holidays  CLOSED until after holidays

Other sites, Library CLOSED until after holidays.

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Holiday Decorating

You may have noticed the holiday decorations in the library. They were all set up, with tremendous thanks, by our student workers.

Left to Right: Library student workers Michael Washington,
Johnsea Boyd, and Caroline Gros decorating the library
with festive holiday garland.

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Recycling Display

Recycling Display

The bedrock of magnolia Library's mission is to support teaching and learning. One of the ways that we achieve this is by creating changing displays on topics or events. To contribute to BRCC's observance of Nov. 15th as National Recycle Day, librarian Shereen Marx assembled a collection of books on recycling, ecology and the environment.



The librarians are eager for students to connect with the information. Dr. Sandra Guzman, Professor of Biology, brought in one of her Environmental Science & Decision Making (ENSC 201) classes for an in-library exercise utilizing the display.

Laura Younger, Department Chair for Science, with
students in her Biology 121 class.

She had her students incorporate at least one reference from the displayed resources for a class project, and noted that  "as the students shared, it was interesting to see what they learned in 40 minutes or less." On another day, students in Laura Younger's Biology for Science Majors course looked for information for a paper about plastics in the oceans.

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Ask A Librarian

The Ask A Librarian feature from
the library Web Site.

As librarians we are always interested in new ways of connecting with you, our patrons. So we are now offering chat services. On the left side of our Web Page you may have noticed a link titled "Ask A Librarian." Accessing this link will allow you to communicate with a Reference Librarian in real-time. It's another way to stay in touch and assist you with your research needs. Try it here!

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Welcome to this, the inaugural run of the Resource Spotlight. Here we will feature a specific book, database, or other resource from our collection that you may not be familiar with. This month we are featuring Learning Express.

Learning Express Screenshot. The modules are highlighted
in different colors on the left of your screen.

Learning Express provides resources based on a series of Learning Centers (modules) that includes practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, eBooks, and the information you need to achieve measured results. The eight modules included cover popular software tutorials, GED preparation, workplace skills improvement, occupation practice tests, U.S. citizenship, recurosos para Hispanohablantes, admissions preparation, and skills assessment.

With today's global economy and emphasis on 21st century skills, Learning Express helps patrons of all ages prepare for success in life by meeting a broad range of educational and career-oriented needs, including:

• Preparing for professional certification, licensing, and aptitude tests in a range of occupations (health care, civil service/government, law enforcement, firefighting, EMS, military, real estate, and more).
• Improving workplace skills such as interviewing techniques, business writing, and computer skills.
• Achieving higher scores on college entrance exams; ACT and SAT.
• Improving performance on college Advanced Placement (AP) exams.
• Preparing for the GED test.
• Preparing for graduate school admission tests; GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT.
• Improving proficiency levels in reading, writing, and math for elementary through post-secondary school levels.

As a patron affiliated with BRCC Magnolia Library you have access to these learning centers anytime and anywhere with online access. Why not try it today?