Category: general news

Following the Impact of the Japanese Earthquake: Using Global Insight and Factiva

Colleen 1 Comment

On March 11, the northeastern region of Japan was devastated by one of the largest earthquakes on record. The resulting tsunami, with its 30 foot waves, wiped out whole coastal areas and currently a difficult search and rescue mission is underway in towns made isolated and nearly inaccessible by the path of destruction.  Meanwhile, the world is watching as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was hit by the 9.0 earthquake, struggles to avoid a nuclear meltdown after numerous emergency failures resulted in structural damage to the reactors and left spent fuel rods exposed.

In light of the unfolding crisis in Japan, the library is featuring two databases to track and monitor the events in Japan and their impact.  Use Factiva to track global news stories and Global Insight for analysis and forecasting of how Japan’s crisis may impact the global economic and political scene.

Factiva

A major provider of news with over 28,000 sources from more than 200 countries in 23 languages and nearly 600 continuously updated newswires, Factiva provides a diverse offering of news content.

To read news stories about Japan in Factiva try the following search from the Search > Search Builder menu at the top left corner of the database home page:

  1. Click on Region.
  2. Click on the + icon next to Asian Pacific Countries/Regions.
  3. Click on the + icon next to Eastern Asian Countries/Regions.
  4. Click on the + icon next to Japan .

The above search will find articles about Japan from all Factiva’s news sources; however, it is also possible to search individual news sources and Factiva provides some Japanese news sources of interest:  

  • ACN Newswire (English language – daily real-time updates from Tokyo)
  • Akita Sakigake Shimpo (Japanese language)
  • Electric Daily News (English language – articles on the Japanese energy and electricity industries)
  • Japan Energy Scan (weekly publication in English -articles on energy scene in Japan and renewable energy; includes statistical data on imports and consumption)
  • Japan Times (English language Japanese daily newspaper)
  • Japanese World (English language continually updated text feed of news and fundamental data primarily about companies listed on the Tokyo and other Japanese Stock Exchanges)
  • M Data TV Watch-Tokyo (covers nine major programs of Japanese TV )
  • Nikkin (weekly publication with comprehensive financial news Japanese language)
  • Yamagata Shimbun (Japanese language daily)

Global Insight

Use Global Insight to read analysis on the disruption, risks and outlook following the earthquake.   The database contains a special In Focus report which provides ongoing analysis of the operational situation, the implications for economic growth, the political consequences, and the dangers of a major nuclear disaster.  Below are some tips to get started.

  1. The database is currently featuring quick access to its In Focus report on Japan.  From the database homepage, look for the link to Japan’s Post-Quake Recovery: In Depth on the right side of the page.
  2. Additionally, there is a comprehensive report about Japan in the list of Country Reports on the left side of the page. The country report provides a summary of key issues to watch and outlines the six-factor country risk.

For additional information about using Global Insight, please refer to our earlier article on this database.  A complete listing of the Bentley Library’s databases is available here.

Valentine’s Day By the Numbers

Lisa

Love is in the Air…and in the Cash Registers

According to a few forecasters, Valentine’s Day spending is on the upswing.  Does that mean we are feeling more romantic in 2011, or just wealthier?

Both the National Retail Federation (NRF) and IBISWorld predict that spending for Valentine’s Day will increase this year.  The NRF forecasts that the average person will spend $116.21 on traditional Valentine’s Day merchandise in 2011, up 12.8 percent over last year’s $103.00, with total holiday spending expected to reach $15.7 billion.   IBISWorld  is even more optimistic, forecasting that holiday spending will top $18.6 billion, which amounts to about $125 per person. The NRF also points out that men will spend the most on Valentine’s Day gifts, with the average man planning to spend twice as much ($158.71) as the average woman ($75.79).

Sweets for Your Sweet?

In surprising news to anyone who has walked through a drugstore or supermarket the day after Christmas and spotted aisles full of Valentine’s Day treats, Mintel is forecasting that Valentine’s Day chocolate sales will be down for a third consecutive year in 2011.  In fact, Mintel estimates a continued decline through 2015,  anticipating that the $285 million market will decrease to $233 million by 2015.  But, both the NRF and IBISWorld are seeing a rise in jewelry sales for the holiday.   Good news for those who prefer sparkly to sweet!

In Keeping With Tradition

According to the Worcester Historical Museum, for nearly 100 years Worcester was the center of the commercial valentine industry in the United States. In 1879, Worcester resident Esther Rowland (widely credited with being the first American to manufacture valentines) joined forces with Edward Taft to form the New England Valentine Company.  What had started as a home-based enterprise grew into a business that grossed $100,000 in annual sales.  Today, the Valentine’s Day card industry is thriving.  The Greeting Card Association estimates that 160 million greeting cards will be purchased for Valentine’s Day this year. We wonder what Esther would think about that?

The staff of the Bentley Library wishes you all a Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Sources consulted:
American Antiquarian Society. (2001, January 25). Making Valentines: A Tradition in America – Esther Howland. Retrieved from http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Valentines/howland.htm
Greeting Card Association. (2011, February 2). Greeting Card Sales Expected to Rise for Valentine’s Day 2011. Retrieved from http://www.greetingcard.org/AbouttheIndustry/IndustryNews/tabid/100/CBModuleId/446/ArticleID/48/Default.aspx
IBISWorld Media Center http://www.ibisworld.com/mediacenter/
Mintel Group. (2010, August). Seasonal Chocolate – US. Retrieved from Mintel Oxygen database.
National Retail Federation (2011, January 27). Love is in the Air This Valentine’s Day, According to NRF. Retrieved from http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=1075
Worcester Historical Museum (n.d.). Worcester’s Own – Valentines.  Retrieved from: http://www.worcesterhistory.org/wo-valentines.html

Discover the Bentley Women’s Center Library

Lisa

We recently received an email from Kathryn Burgner, VP of Resource, Referral, and Recruitment for Bentley Women’s Center, asking if we could help spread the word about the availability of books at the Women’s Center library. Of course we wholeheartedly agreed to broadcast her message about this special collection! After all, we think of ourselves as being in a partnership with the Women’s Center.  The Bentley Library’s Technical Services Department catalogs each of the books held at the Center so that members of the Bentley community can find them when they conduct searches in the library’s catalog. Currently, the Women’s Center library contains over 500 books on women’s and gender issues.

With the recent relocation of the Women’s Center to LaCava 120, now is the perfect time to acquaint yourself with all that they have to offer.  Here’s what you should know about visiting and borrowing from the Women’s Center library:

  • Book topics include women’s issues, LGTBQ issues, mental health, gender issues, sex and love, self-help, race and diversity issues, and entertainment/leisure.  Some of their more popular titles include He’s Just Not that Into You, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, and The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke [Click here to see a complete list of titles]
  • A current Bentley ID is required to borrow books.  The Women’s Center staff will also request the email address and phone number at which you can be reached.
  • Books are loaned for a period of 2 weeks, and may be renewed in-person or via email.
  • Book purchase suggestions are encouraged!  Send your suggestions to GA_Womens_Center@bentley.edu

You can learn more about all the good things that the Women’s Center does by visiting their web site, liking them on Facebook,  and following them on Twitter.  Better yet, stop by LaCava 120 to visit, browse and borrow!

While You Were Out

Katy

In January, when most Bentley students are enjoying some hard-earned time off away from campus, the library is a busy place. For many members of our staff, January is a time to catch up on projects that end up on the back burner during the fall. It’s also a period of intense, focused activity as we prepare for the start of the spring semester.

I asked the library staff to share how they spent their time in January to give you an idea of what we do to keep the library humming along day in and day out all year round. Here are some of the things they did.

  • Various members of the staff interviewed candidates for three open positions in the library, including two full-time circulation jobs.
  • The Technical Services department purchased, received, and processed 654 new titles for the collection.
  • Technical Services also added 610 new titles to the Books 24×7 electronic books collection and 926 new titles to the electronic collection of government documents.
  • The circulation department (aka Library Services) changed the overdue fines for popular DVDs from $4 per day to $1 per day. Circulation staff put new labels on the DVD cases to reflect the change (that’s a lot of scraping and sticking, folks).
  • Reference librarians assigned to sections of GB301 for the spring semester got research guides together for their classes.
  • Those new titles mentioned above? Many of them were ordered by Reference staff doing collection development work to expand and update the library’s holdings in specific areas.
  • Another aspect of collection development is looking at items in the library’s collection that haven’t been used in a long time and deciding whether to keep them. One librarian is focusing on the popular fiction collection, moving out older titles that haven’t circulated in many years—sometimes since before most members of the current freshman class were born—to make room for new fiction.
  • The research and instruction coordinator worked with professors to schedule library instruction sessions for spring semester classes and planned a study about current student research habits so that the library can serve you better in your research.
  • Interlibrary Loan lent and received books from libraries in the United States, Canada, China, and Italy (and that’s in a quiet month for ILL).

That’s not everything, of course—just what our busy staff could remember and chose to share. Librarians don’t have a catchy slogan or anything to explain to you what our work is about, but if you visit the library regularly, you see it in action around you. If you’re curious about anything we do here, drop us a line.

Library Closed Wednesday, February 2

Lisa 1 Comment

Due to the snowstorm, Bentley University and the Bentley Library will be closed on Wednesday, February 2, 2011.

Weather permitting, the Bentley Library will reopen on Thursday, February 3, at 7:30am.  For the most current information please check the Bentley University Storm Emergency web site, or call the Storm Emergency line at 781.891.2020.

Storm Closing at 11:15am Today

Lisa

Due to the inclement weather, Bentley University and the Bentley Library will be closing at 11:15am today – Tuesday, February 1.

Weather permitting, the Bentley Library will reopen on Wednesday, February 2, at 7:30am.  Please check the Bentley University Storm Emergency web site, or call the Storm Emergency line at 781.891.2020, for the most current information.

Delayed Opening: 11:00am on Thursday, January 27

Lisa

Due to the snowstorm, Bentley University and the Bentley Library will be opening at 11:00am today.  Bentley’s official emergency information can be found at the Bentley University Storm Emergency web site and the Storm Emergency line at 781.891.2020.

Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter

Katy

The Bentley Library has taken the plunge and joined the social media universe. Many of us in the library are avid followers of social media, getting our news from Twitter and keeping up with friends on Facebook, just as you do. Knowing where we’re all gathering on the web, we decided that the library should have a presence on the networks we’re frequenting already.

You can now find the Bentley Library on Twitter (@BentleyLibrary) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bentleylibrary). Through these channels, we will bring you news and information about all kinds of happenings at the library, from classes you can take to new books and movies you can check out. We’ll also provide interesting links about Bentley, libraries in general, and information we think you might find helpful or interesting. If this experiment takes off, we hope to build a Bentley Library presence on other social media channels that you’re using so we can continue to connect with patrons—faculty, staff, students, and community members alike—in your corners of the internet.

We can’t do this without help from our friends and followers, though. If you’re following us on Twitter or you like us on Facebook, let us know how we’re doing. We want to hear about what you like and what you don’t like, what you want to hear more about and less about, and any fun ideas or news tips you might have. Librarians Katy Aronoff and Lisa Curtin are in charge of our social media accounts, and you can contact them through Facebook and Twitter or regular old email.