E-Books, not databases: non-fiction platforms

Safari Books Online for Libraries contains a subset of 7,947 technology, digital media, and business books from Safari’s overall content. These titles are browsable, but cannot be downloaded for offline viewing. With 5,165 OPL sessions in 2014, it is a well-used subscription.

Challenge 1: What is the oldest publication date featured in OPL’s Safari Books library? What is the title of the book?

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) is a small collection of multi volume reference sets and directories. The collection is not currently being grown, rather we are weeding titles as they date, but it still sees a fair amount of use (1,050 sessions in 2014). Highlights from this collection are the College Blue Book and Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia. Content can also be downloaded to a device and kept.

Challenge 2: According to the College Blue Book, Laney College offers 5 intercollegiate sports. What are they?

EBSCOhost eBooks are legacy titles rolled over from our former NetLibrary Consortium subscription. At 1,652 sessions in 2014, they are still doing a brisk enough business that we prefer not to let them go. However, you will find nothing more recent than 2005 on there. There are 8,140 titles, most of which are adult non-fiction, with 1,901 adult fiction and only a couple of hundred Juvenile or Young Adult titles, and 52 Spanish-language titles. You’ll need to create an account using your library card number and PIN, and you can read online or download to your device if you install free software. One thing that is pretty cool is that you can search the full text of the eBooks on there and use Boolean operators.

Challenge 3: Look up the title Gardening with native wild flowers in Encore. Follow the link to EBSCOhost. What is Chapter 11 called?