Month: October 2011

Please Pardon the Disruption…

Lisa

You’ve probably noticed that we are in the process of installing study seats and rearranging furniture throughout the building. We are working as quickly as we can to reincorporate the desks and computers that were removed when the Help Desk Computer Lab was closed.  As carpenters and electricians work to finish this project, you may be asked to move to another area as needed.  We apologize for any noise or inconvenience. Thank you for your cooperation and support as we continue trying to improve the Bentley Library’s #14 ranking in the country in the 2011 Princeton Review Guide, and let us know how we can best serve your needs!

Do you have questions, comments or concerns? Comment here or send email to library@bentley.edu.

On Display: Based on a Book

Lisa

How many times have you said to yourself…

– “I need to read that book before the movie comes out!”
– “That was a great movie, I really should read the book.”
– “They’re going to turn that book into a movie? Really?”

Thus, the inspiration for our latest book and film display: Based on a Book.

Not unexpectedly, the Based on a Book display includes well-known classics and best-selling works of fiction and nonfiction that have been adapted for the big screen (in some cases more than once), but there are also some book/movie pairings that you might find surprising.  For example, did you know that the sci-fi classic Blade Runner was based on a novel called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, that Rosalind Wiseman’s sociological look at the world of teenage girls – Queen Bees and Wannabes – was transformed by Tina Fey into the comedy Mean Girls, or that the award-winning movie The Social Network was based on Ben Mezrich’s book, The Accidental Billionaires?

Come take a look at the numerous book and movie choices, we’re sure you’ll find something that you’ve been meaning to read or see.

Database of the Month: Plunkett Research Online

Macee

Plunkett Research Online (PRO) offers business intelligence information including industry/market trends and statistics, company profiles, professional organizations, and job prospects, making it ideal for industry/market researchers, for prospect/sales management projects, and for job seekers.

Plunkett Research analysts profile approximately 8,000 companies in 28 industries, with 1,000 new companies added to the list yearly. Each industry receives a complete update once per year. The previous year’s data is archived and available to users.

Industry/Market Research

The home page provides a clickable list of 28 industries for which Plunkett’s analysts supply a mix of proprietary data and data from government sources. In addition, Plunkett provides information for groupings of companies by geographic location, revenue size, and/or company type. All types of companies are included; for example, about 20% of the companies are privately held and about 30% are headquartered outside of the U.S. Data is searchable within and across industries.

Each “Industry Research Center” offers detailed information about:

  • Industry market research and trends
  • Industry statistics
  • Company profiles
  • Definitions of terms used in particular industries and for business in general
  • Industry associations, trade organizations and professional societies

The information is cross-searchable by keyword and can also be searched using advanced options. Where available, archived data is presented as a print-style Almanac in PDF format. Depending on the industry, data goes back seven years or more.

Reporting Tools

Plunkett enables users to export company contacts and/or lists of professional organizations and societies, in Excel or plain text format.

Also, using Plunkett’s Build-a-Report ℠, the user can create a custom PDF-formatted industry report for printing, emailing and/or saving.

You’ll be able to select exactly the companies you want to target. Criteria you may select by include annual revenues, size by employee count, specific industry sector by NAICS code, city, state or country of headquarters location and more. Directory information includes corporate address, phone, fax, website, revenues, profits, number of employees, subsidiaries, and up to 27 executive names by title.

Job Seeker Resources & Tools

For job seekers, in addition to the industry and company tools discussed above, Plunkett Research offers:

  • A separate Employer Search by major (U.S.-based, 2,500+ employees) and mid-size (U.S.-based, 150 to 2,500 employees) companies, with export and print functionality in Excel or plain text
  • Job market trends and statistics
  • Tips on the job search process
  • External links to the government publications Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Career Guide to Industries
  • Links to career websites and temporary employment agencies

MyResearchAccount

Sign up for a free research account and receive the following benefits:

  • Set up your own personal research profile and create a history of your searches
  • Save your searches and save comments about the search results
  • Receive alerts about new data posted to Plunkett Research Online

Connect to this Database

Please visit http://ezp.bentley.edu/login?url=http://plunkettresearchonline.com to start your research. Begin with the video tutorials at http://www.plunkettresearchonline.com/ResearchCenter/videos/tutorial.aspx, or explore what the database has to offer on your own.

This database is included in the following Library Research Guides:  Company Research,  Careers,  Industry & Market Research,  Researching Employers, and Residential Real Estate Market.  You can also visit our Databases A-Z page to view a complete list of our resources.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

RSVP to Save Your Spot at our Citing Sources Workshop!

Liz

Reminder! The Library and Writing Center are joining forces next week to offer two sessions of a workshop on Citing Sources: Why, When, and How. Get a leg up on research and on your classmates! RSVP to library@bentley.edu to attend.

Citing Sources Workshop (presented jointly with the Writing Center)

Why do your professors spend so much time talking about citations? Does it feel like busywork? Come learn how to cite sources for any format. We’ll show you how to do it, where to find resources, and why you should care.

Have sources or a bibliography you need help with? Bring it with you!

Two sessions:

  • Monday, October 17, from 5:00 to 6:00
  • Tuesday, October 18, from 5:00 to 6:00

(The workshop will take place in the Research Instruction Center (Room 11) on the library’s lower level)

October is Massachusetts Information Literacy Month

Liz

National Information Literacy Month 2011 BadgeGovernor Deval Patrick has proclaimed October 2011 to be Massachusetts Information Literacy Month. Never heard of it? The official proclamation says that information literacy:

“provides the tools and skills to find, evaluate and use credible information from all sources in our constantly evolving world”

and that:

“Individuals who are comfortable working with the informational resources available in the digital world are able to seek highly skilled jobs and compete at high levels in the global economy.”

Information literacy is crucial to seeking and understanding information, whether you’re writing a research paper, making health-related decisions, or trying to find unbiased news coverage.

Want to see what the Bentley Library does to promote information literacy? Visit our Information Literacy and Instruction Research Guide to learn about library instruction and initiatives related to finding, evaluating, and using information of all kinds.

Curious about what this has to do with being a member of the business community or of a business university? Come to the library’s October 26 event “Who Wrote This and Why Should I Care? Evaluating and Understanding Information in a Business Context.” A panel of experts will discuss the challenges of evaluating information, and being information literate, in an ever-changing information landscape. More information can be found in this blog post.

For even more information on information literacy, click on the badge in this post to be taken to the website of the National Forum on Information Literacy.

Upcoming Workshop: Citing Sources: Why, When, How (with the Writing Center)

Liz

The Writing Center and Library are joining forces to offer a workshop that takes the mystery out of citing sources:

Citing Sources: Why, When and How

Why do your professors spend so much time talking about citations? Does it feel like busywork? Come learn how to cite sources for any format. We’ll show you how to do it, where to find resources, and why you should care.

Have sources or a bibliography you need help with? Bring it with you!

Offered at two different times:

  • October 17, 5:00-6:00
  • October 18, 5:00-6:00

Both sessions take place in the Research Instruction Center (RIC), Room 11, on the library’s lower level.

Presented by: Greg Farber-Mazor, Interim Director, Writing Center and Liz Galoozis, Reference Librarian

Email library@bentley.edu to reserve your seat now – and tell us which session you’ll be attending!

Columbus Day Weekend Hours

Lisa

Columbus Day Weekend holiday hours will be in effect from Saturday, October 8 through Monday, October 10, 2011:

Saturday, October 8
Library is open 9:00am to 5:00pm
Cafe is open 12:00pm to 4:00pm

Sunday, October 9
Library is open 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Cafe is open 3:00pm to 8:00pm

Monday, October 10
Library is open 10:00am to 2:00am
Cafe is open 1:00pm to 9:30pm

The library and cafe will resume regular hours on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. For more information about our hours please check our online hours calendar.

September Acquisitions: New Books, DVDs & Audiobooks

Lisa

Check out our book, popular reading, DVD and audiobook acquisitions for the month of September. Go to our New Books & DVDs page to browse by subject or format.   If you find something you want, simply hit the “Request” button to place a hold on it.