Mark's email to faculty

Dear Colleagues,

If you were unable to attend our flex activity before the beginning of the semester, you may not be aware that the library has a new single search system for finding resources.  It’s called Search Cuesta Library (and Beyond). You can access it from the library’s home page at: www.cuesta.edu/library or from the library channel in myCuesta.
This new system has several advantages for students.  First, its default mode is a single search which searches for all formats—books, articles, media—simultaneously.  Second, it incorporates a URL link resolver enabling users to connect directly to the full text of an article, e-book, or video, whether it resides in a Cuesta-licensed database like Ebsco’s Academic Search Premier or Films on Demand, or in an open source collection like Public Library of Science.
Some differences in the new system we wanted you to know:
•    Users retrieve more information (the system searches a worldwide collection of catalogs and indexes), and can then narrow and focus the results by applying filters (format, full-text, peer-reviewed, currency, etc.)
•    The SIRS database is gone, replaced by Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
•    Streaming media collections Films on Demand and PBS Video Collection bring thousands of educational videos into the new system.
Because the system is still very new, some databases are not yet fully functional within this single search environment. To connect to these go to the “Specialized Databases” link on the horizontal navigation bar on the upper part of the library home page.  This list includes:
•    Newsbank (for full text articles from the SLO Tribune and most California daily newspapers.)
•    PsycInfo (index to psychological literature) and PsycArticles (full text articles from 300 journals) … courtesy of a Foundation grant to Psychology faculty.
•    Opposing Viewpoints in Context (for pro/con positions on controversial topics.)
•    CountryWatch and CultureGrams Online (for current information on countries worldwide.)
To learn more, see the LibGuide (http://libguides.cuesta.edu/cuestasearch), keep an eye on the library home page for news on system developments, and watch for our October flex activity. For assistance in altering assignments to match the new resources, please contact me or any librarian.