C.O.D. Library ESL/ABE/GED Faculty Newsletter August/September 2011
Resource of the Month
Welcome Back! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Jennifer Kelley, the library liaison for the ESL, ABE and GED programs. I'm your contact person in the Library and also someone to whom you can refer your students. Below, you'll see a short list of "What Your Librarian Can Do for You"-these are just a few of the things I can help you with! One of my favorite things to do for my faculty is to share this newsletter with you. Every month, you can count on an update on Library news, new or notable materials (books, videos, software), a recommended electronic resource, and more.
http://www.cod.edu/library/ resources/databases.htm
Traditionally, this column has been a place to highlight online resources that are freely available on the internet, but I wanted to start the semester off with a plug for the library's subscription database LearningExpress Library. LEL is an invaluable resource for many students. It offers "practice tests, exercises, skillbuilding courses, [and] eBooks" to assist students preparing for an array of exams as well as help for students looking to develop or hone a wide variety of skills. Popular areas for our ABE/ GED and ESL students include:
I'll email you a link to the online newsletter as soon as it's available, but you can always visit any time you like at http://library.codlibrary.org/ esl/faculty or http://library.codlibrary.org/abe/faculty. There you can see archived newsletters, the occasional newsflash update and a menu to help you explore the ABE/GED and ESL Research Guides. If you're more of a traditional print-out paper kind of person, don't worry! I always attach a PDF of the newsletter to the monthly email, as well.
Library Tours and Orientations Each semester, I look forward to meeting and working with the students taking ESL, ABE and GED classes. You can schedule a Library tour or orientation for your students at any time during the school year, but I recommend getting them started early so they can take advantage of our resources immediately. A library session can be short or the entire length of your class. It can involve a research project or a simple assignment. It can take place here in the Library or in your classroom-- even if you're off campus!
* Technical and Career College Skills * Vocabulary and Spelling Skills Improvement * Writing and Grammar Skills Improvement * Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement and of course, the entire GED Preparation category, including: GED Practice Exams; GED Preparation Courses and Guides; GED Skills Improvement; and Spanish-language GED Preparation. First-time users are instructed to create a unique login, which allows LearningExpress Library to keep track of the student's selections, compare results from practice tests and more. From anywhere in the COD Network (on campus and the off-campus centers), students have immediate access to the resource. From off-campus, students will need a Library card to enter the database. A handout for LearningExpress Library is available online and instructors can request an introduction to the database as part of a Library instruction session, either in the Library or any COD computer classroom.
Your Librarian Jenn Kelley Office: SRC 3043A Phone: (630) 942-2383 E-mail: kelleyj@cod.edu
Take a look at our Library Orientation menus for some ideas of the sessions and activities we can offer your students: • for ESL options: http://codlibrary.org/ESL_Orientations • for ABE/GED options: http://codlibrary.org/ ABE_GED_Orientations Even if you can't fit a Library instruction session or tour into your schedule this semester, there are still plenty of ways we can make the Library and its resources available and accessible to your students. The easiest way to encourage the use of Library resources is to provide students with Library cards. Luckily, getting a Library card is quick, easy and free! Students can get theirs here in the Library or at Learning Commons locations in the Bloomingdale, Naperville and Westmont Regional Centers. Students with COD Student IDs can have them activated as a Library card and temporary Library cards are available online. If you would like to get Library cards for your entire class, have your students fill out Library card applications and send the completed forms, along with a copy of your class roster, to the Library Circulation Desk. They'll send your class's cards back through campus mail in less than a week.
What Your Librarian Can Do for You ° Help you to identify and locate ESL and ABE/GED resources for teaching and student use. ° Support your students’ Library instruction via customized group sessions, library tours, and library card acquisition. ° Collaborate with instructors on the design and development of student assignments. ° Find information to answer basic reference questions as well as assist you in locating information for ESL and ABE/GED curriculum related projects. ° Assist you in finding and securing library materials from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.