N ews
N ovember 19,2003
T he C lackamas P rint • 3
Research time cut down by e-books
Michaels Cooper
T he C lackamas P rint
A myriad of reference books are
available as of the end of October
thanks to the library’s newest tool in
providing students with research
material: e-books.
A total of 1,100 books were pur
chased and are now available online
by way of the college’s online cata
log, Cougar Cat (library.clackamas.
edu). Fifty-three of these volumes
are also in the library’s Reference
Center, and can now be keyword-
searched all at once. The remaining
1,057 titles are only available online,
so there is no physical copy on the
library shelf.
The online checkout period is 24
hours, and the book can be read
page-by-page on any computer in the
world.
In order to search Cougar Cat for
the e-books, a student must be regis
tered at a computer on the CCC cam
pus. Once registered,, one can do
research at any time, from any com
puter with Internet access.
The one drawback of this techno
logical advance is that once a book is
checked out from Cougar Cat,
another student cannot check that
same book out until it is checked
back in. This is done either automat
ically at the end of its 24-hour period,
or by clicking the “check-in book”
button on the website.
“We’re on the crux of human his
tory where no one’s ever been
before...It’s like Star Trek!” said
Reference Librarian Terry Mackdf,
who coordinated the purchase of tne
new e-books.
The company that the e-book
service was bought from, OCLC,
gave the library a good deal, accord
ing to Mackey. The company’s pur
pose is to serve librarians.
Their product, NetLibrary, costs
roughly $7,000 a year to subscribe to,
while the e-books themselves cost a
total of $950. That means that each
book cost about $0.83 each to buy,
and $6.36 each to subscribe to for a
full year.
All things considered, this service
is quite a bit cheaper than buying
physical copies of each book.
The funding for NetLibrary came
through a decision package last year
for the library. If the college decides
not to grant another $7,000 to the
library at the end of this year, the
service will disappear.
“We [would be] on the brink of
human history for one year, then fall
off [if the service is not renewed],”
said Mackey.
The genres of books available
through NetLibrary range from busi
ness to poetry, from computer texts
to essay collections. A keyword
search can bring up much more than
one might think on a simple subject.
For example, while a reference
librarian might refer a student to a
book on the history of American
CORY PRICE C lackamas P rint
Student Chris Oestman was quite interested in the idea of using e-books when he
learned about the new research method while working in the library on Wednesday.
broadcasting to research censorship,
neither librarian nor student may
think to look in a book on feminist
theories or cinema studies. The com
puter, however, would make that
connection. Mackey sees a lot of
potential in such a search.
“One book, one piece of informa
tion. Now the book [itself] isn’t
important: it’s the idea,” she said.
With a full text search of 1,100
books of all different types and sub
jects, a student can now find a vast
amount of relevant information on
any research topic.
“You’re getting it from all these
different angles,” said Mackey.
According to Mackey, NetLibrary
has provided the college with more
books than they paid for. With the
purchase of the new e-books came
access to even more free research
material.
“We’re just hitting the tip of the
iceberg...There are actually 62,000
books [available online]!” said
Mackey.
Students express concern regarding use of U.S. military in Iraq
James Tombe
C ontributing W riter
Despite the lack of a large military
presence in this .state, many
Oregonians have some connection to
the armed forces, whether through rel
atives, friends or personal experience.
But where do the students at
Clackamas stand on events involving
our military in Iraq?
Student Casey Knight has strong
ties to the military, with five consec
utive generations of West Point grad
uates in his family. His grandfather
is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the
Army. Knight’s views show a con
cern over a military that is possibly
spreading itself too thin.
“I think the U.S. tries way too
hard to be the international father and
peacekeeper,” said Knight. “We
should mind our own business.”
Many other students seem to
reflect this opinion as well.
“I think we’re doing good things,
but for the wrong reasons,” one stu
dent claimed. Another admitted that
GRANT M. HALLER S eattle P ost -I ntelligencer
During the war in Iraq, a soldier painted this sign of
patriotism on an F-18E Super Hornet on the Lincoln.
the situation was a lot more compli
cated than most realize.
“I do not think that war is a good
thing,” she said, “but I do believe that
this conflict was necessary in the
beginning and don’t believe that we
could pull out now without putting
ourselves in danger of more home
front and overseas attacks.”
Others are more apprehensive
about the actions of the United States
government and its methods of gain
ing and keeping control, like student
Adam Balyamwalla, whose father
earned his U.S. citizenship by fight
ing in the Vietnam war.
“As a half-Pakistani, I am very
concerned with the military cam
paigning that is occurring in that part
of die world,” Balyamwalla said. “I
also worry about our country’s
actions, as well as their execution of
these actions.”
Balyamwalla went on to express
his concern about automated missile
systems causing accidental misfires,
fratricide and the spread of radioac
tive materials in nuclear testing, such
as Strontium 90, which mimics calci
um and is absorbed into the bones
when ingested.
Some students are concerned
about creating definite goals before
sending out the military, like Peter
Shmeer.
“The U.S. is generally sticking its
nose where it doesn’t belong,”
Shmeer said, echoing several other
students’ concerns. “Our govern
ment comes up with weak excuses
for military action.
‘Terrorism’
becomes an end-all explanation.”
Student Jake Carpenter, like many
others, feels that the war on terrorism
is a double-edged sword and a source
of confusion about our government's
Veteran’s Services at Clackamas Community College
Work-Study Assistance
Program
Educational Program
;
-Pays minimum wage, $6.90 in
Oregon, but it’s tax free '
-Variety of schools/govemment
agencies are available
: t:; •:;
-Wide range of jobs are avail-.::
able on a term-by-term basis
OX, Bill
-Up to $985 per month ($282
for reserves) for up to 36
-It’s as easy as a phone call
each month to receive benefits
-Must be going to school at
least three-fourths of the time
-Expires 10 years after separa
tion from service (or 14 years
after becoming eligible for
reserves)
-Must be currently eligible for
the educational program (GI.
Bill)
'
-• i
-Veterans Affairs sends the
funds each month after school
starts. ' '
To get started on either of these
benefits, just bring in a copy of
your DD214 (DD23841for
reserves) and current class
schedule.
NOTE: Dependents of
deceased/100 percent disabled
veterans may also be eligible
for tfee^b^fit?,« t
For more information, contact |
Sharon Pellham, veterans serv
ices coordinator, at ext. 2554 or
by email: Spellham @clacka-
MORRY GASH
A ssociated P ress
Jose Valero marches with others at the national anti-war
rally on Feb. 15, 2003 that took places in Wausau, Wis.
objectives.
“When the Twin Towers in New
York fell, it caused the war on terror
ism to begin,” Carpenter said. “Now
we’re after Saddam, but what about
bin-Laden?”
Carpenter described his theory that
American military actions are playing
right into Osama bin-Laden’s hands.
“What
were
bin-Laden’s
demands?” Carpenter asked. “U.S.
troops out of Afghanistan—done. He
wanted Saddam out of power—done.
And his last request is a holy war
between Muslims and Jews, which
good ol’ GW. seems to be working
on right now.”
Although there are American
troops currently in Afghanistan, the
worry still exists that the United
States is playing into the hands of ter
rorists by getting involved in the
Middle East.
However, by focusing on the pol
itics of military actions, there is the
danger of losing focus on the human
element of war: neglecting the indi
vidual Iraqi citizens trying to care for
their families, or forgetting about the
soldiers separated from their own
families by thousands of miles of
sand and water.
“Get the heck out!” advised
Clackamas student Trevor Rauch.
“We are getting Americans killed
even after ‘mission accomplished.’”
Whether United States foreign
policy or the rules of engagement
will change due to events unfolding
in Iraq, remains to be seen. Students’
concerns about the use of the military
may or may not be answered satis
factorily. But one thing is certain:
they are watching.
ANEW
CLUB??
Have you returned
to college after
many years of working,
playing and
living your life?
Are you sometimes
lost, not sure of where
to turn during your
new venture at CCC?
If so, become part of
forming a new club here
on campus!
For more info, email Earl England
at olderccc@yahoo.com