Eclectic Strategist

Per Reuters, SOPA won't address international piracy, could devastate Internet industries

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

Online Piracy is a problem, but SOPA would only address the issue in the U.S., it would not address international piracy. On the other hand, the effects of SOPA on the Internet industry could be devastating, according to Reuters video on SOPA
http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/01/13/reuters-tv-online-piracy-war-hollywood-vs-silicon-v?videoId=228671511&videoChannel=117772

The DSM-5 and its Discontents

2011-12-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

A controversy has arisen over the draft of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (called the DSM-5 for short). Of interest to the students and faculty in the Health Services Management Program as well as the Psychology Program, The DSM classifies mental disorders, its code numbers serving as a kind of numerical language between practitioners and insurance companies. A diagnosis classified in the DSM determines whether the insurance company will reimburse for medication.

The recent drafts of the DSM-5 have provoked a revolt among practitioners. David Elkins, professor emeritus at Pepperdine University and president of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association, posted a petition online last October, which gathered over 3,000 signatures within three weeks. The the British Psychological Society posted an open letter to the DSM-5, detailing its objections. Allen Francis, the person who chaired the task force which produced the 4th edition of the DSM has compiled numerous blog posts documenting the reaction against the DSM-5 and voicing his objections to it in no uncertain terms. American Counseling Association president Don Locke wrote his own letter to the APA (link uncertain).

Critics of the draft contend that its new diagnoses will lead to over-medicating patients. For example, here's a quote from the British Psychological Society's letter: “clients and the general public are negatively affected by the continued and continuous medicalisation of their natural and normal responses to their experiences.”

You can read The American Psychiatric Association response to Dr. Locke's letter.

If you are interested in investigating this issue further please feel free to ask the librarians in the University Library for assistance.

Special report on Online Education

2011-12-15T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education has release a special report on online education featuring two white papers on lecture capture plus 10 Faculty Perspectives on What Works in Lecture Capture.

Go to this link to download the white papers

The University Library has ordered a copy of the full report. Please call or e-mail us if you are interested in reading the report when it arrives.

New Features on PrivCo database

2011-12-05T11:16:00.001-08:00

New features on PrivCo Database

Dan Gingert, Manager, Academic Subscriptions, for PrivCo, LLC
alerted us to new features on PrivCo Database. Excerpt from his e-mail of December 5, 2011 follows:

1. Data export to Excel: All of PrivCo's private company financial data tables, as well as search results, are now easily exported to Excel, making it very easy to analyze a private company's financial data, create graphs and tables in Excel, as well as to integrate PrivCo financial data into your own existing data sets.

2. Research reports available in PDF format: All PrivCo private company research reports and investor profiles are now available in PDF download format for cleaner viewing, printing, and PDF sharing with colleagues.

3. Added investment firm principles and direct contacts: We have added a list of key management with individual contact information to thousands of our investor profiles, from venture capital firms to angel investment groups to university business incubators.

4. Company revenue growth rates added: In addition to location, revenue size, and employee size, PrivCo has also added 1 and 3 year revenue growth rate as a criteria when conducting an advanced search of private companies, and for company-to-company analysis, comparison, and valuation.

Message from Dan Gingert, Manager, Academic Subscriptions, for PrivCo, LLC
PrivCo LLC

Wikipedia redactions

2011-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

According to a news item in the Chronicle of Higher Education's "Wired Campus" Wikipedia has started removing not only content but also the history of that content ever having existed on the site. (Read What Wikipedia deletes, and why).

Two researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have completed a report redacted content during 2010 : What Wikipedia Deletes: Characterizing Dangerous Collaborative Content. (.PDF, 4 p.).

Wikipedia has had to resort to the same human-labor-intensive work that characterizes scholarly publications due to the libelous nature of the offending content, in addition to blatant violations of copyright law.

My favorite comment on the Chron's Wired Campus story: "Plagiarism in Wikipedia - Do not copy and paste stuff into the place that everyone copies and pastes from."

Gartner's 10 most strategic tech trends of 2012

2011-10-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

In Tech Republic's Tech Sanity Check "Look out: The 10 rising tech trends of 2012," October 17, 2011, Jason Hiner alerted us to Gartner's list of the 10 most strategic tech trends of 2012:

1. Media tablets and beyond
2. Mobile-centric applications and interfaces
3. Contextual and social user experience
4. Internet of Things
5. App stores and marketplaces
6. Next-generation analytics
7. Big data
8. In-memory computing
9. Extreme low-energy servers
10. Cloud computing

Gartner analyst David Cearly explained how IT leaders should think about the “strategic technologies” on this list:

“A strategic technology is one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise during the next three years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment or the risk of being late to adopt… Companies should use the list as a starting point and adjust based on their industry, unique business needs, technology adoption model, and other factors.”
Information and quote above is from
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/look-out-the-10-rising-tech-trends-of-2012/9470?tag=nl.e053, retrieved October 19, 2011

See also Gartner's Press Release, http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1826214

Higher education leads to fewer job losses, per OECD Education at a Glance 2011

2011-09-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from OECD article re Education at a Glance 2011 begins:
"People with university degrees have suffered far fewer job losses during the global economic crisis than those who left school without qualifications, according to the latest edition of the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance. Good education and skills are crucial to improving a person’s economic and social prospects.
Unemployment rates among university graduates stood at 4.4% on average across OECD countries in 2009. But people who did not complete high school faced unemployment rates of 11.5%, up from 8.7% the year before. This adds to the huge problem of youth unemployment that today exceeds 17% in the OECD area."

Excerpt above is from
http://www.oecd.org/document/21/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_48651029_1_1_1_1,00.html, retrieved September 13, 2011

The full report is available via http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/61/2/48631582.pdf
OECD (2011), Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2011-en
ISBN 978-92-64-11420-3 (print)
ISBN 978-92-64-11705-1 (PDF)

Inside Higher Ed Sep 13, 2011 alerted us to the annual OECD report.

Google Books Bilbliography

2011-08-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Charles W. Bailey, Jr.s Google Books Bibliography, available via http://digital-scholarship.org/gbsb/gbsb.htm "presents selected English-language articles and other works that are useful in understanding Google Books. It primarily focuses on the evolution of Google Books and the legal, library, and social issues associated with it." Quote from website listed above, retrieved August 15, 2011

Tips for Managing Your Digital Life, from New York Times

2011-08-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Article in New York Times on Friday, August 12, provides tips for managing your digital life. Check it out at

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/fashion/tips-for-managing-social-networking-burnout.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha26

Finding Foundation Support for Your Education, Foundation Center workshop

2011-08-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings, wanted to make sure you all know about the upcoming workshop at the Foundation Center, 312 Sutter Street, San Francisco, on Finding Foundation Support for Your Education 1-2:15 pm. You can register via
http://grantspace.org/Classroom/Training-Calendar/San-Francisco/Finding-Foundation-Support-for-Your-Education-2011-08-19-San-Francisco-CA2

Plus check out the Foundation Center for other workshops and resources.

With StatPlanet, Create Interactive Maps and Graphs Using World Bank Data

2011-07-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

New York Times article "World Bank Is Opening Its Treasure Chest of Data" today includes mention of StatPlanet
http://www.sacmeq.org/statplanet/ which "lets people explore more than 3,000 World Bank economic indicators with interactive maps and graphics." It was developed by Frank van Cappelle, a doctoral candidate at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education in Australia. Check it out! And check out, too, the GGU University Library Data for Decisions LibGuide http://ggu.libguides.com/data Want more? Join us for the Data for Decisions workshop at the GGU University Library on July 23 at 3 pm.

For StatPlanet, Frank van Cappelle was awarded first prize in the World Bank's Apps for Development Contest.

For World Bank Data, see http://data.worldbank.org/

Quote is from The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/business/global/03world.html?pagewanted=3&src=recg retrieved July 3, 2011.

StatPlanet requires Flash.

Need for more college graduates, differences in wages for college and high school graduates

2011-06-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

In The Undereducated American, Anthony P. Carnevale and Stephen J. Rose contend that if the U.S. were to add 20 million postsecondary-educated workers to the U.S. workforce by 2025, income inequality would decline.
They envision:
15 million would hold Bachelor's degrees,
1 million Associates degrees
4 million would have attended some college but earned no degree

They include in their report a chart showing wage differential for college and high school graduates in various fields. The report, issued by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, was described in today's Academic Impressions e-mail alert Higher Ed Impact, Daily Pulse: News & Trends in Higher Ed, June 27, 2011.

See http://cew.georgetown.edu/undereducated/

Wikipedia revisions to watch out for

2011-06-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Librarians do not hate Wikipedia. We just regard it with skepticism and caution. Some articles on Wikipedia may prove useful, but we advise against relying on it. When the subject proves a bit controversial, a "revision war" can erupt, making the content of a Wikipedia article change from one minute to the next. Keep this in mind if you cite Wikipedia in your papers that you may have to specify the time as well as the date you read the cited article. But usually you can trust that the authors and editors will provide a useful overview of a non-controversial subject.

Notice my use of the word "usually" in that last sentence. You wouldn't think of something like the Ride of Paul Revere as controversial, would you? All people who grew up in the U.S. learned about this in elementary school. But alas, now the story of Paul Revere has descended into controversy. How did this happen?

Sarah Palin garbled the story of Paul Revere's ride last week. But rather than admit to the error, she insists that her account really was accurate. Then her followers tried to edit the Wikipedia article about Paul Revere (See the Wikipedia revision history here also the discussion of the revisions here).

(18th century face-palm originally posted on Boing Boing)

Some may argue that this proves Wikipedia has a built in defense against less than completely honest revisions. But how can you tell? Standard reference publications employ professional editors and fact checkers. That's why they cost money. The University Library has spent some of Golden Gate University's students' money on solid, reliable sources of information. Please take a look at this list of databases and also contact the librarians by phone (415-442-7244), e-mail or Chat if you have any questions or need any help with your research.

Let's see Wikipedia offer that service.

Financial Planning Workshop on June 9 has been canceled

2011-06-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

The Financial Planning Workshop with Larry Souza, scheduled for June 9 at Golden Gate University, has been canceled.

Explore the Universe with skysurvey.org

2011-06-04T13:36:00.001-07:00

Check out http://skysurvey.org/ to explore the Universe. "The Photopic Sky Survey is a 5,000 megapixel photograph of the entire night sky stitched together from 37,440 exposures." Quote is from website, retrieved 6/4/2011 Kudos and thanks to Nick Risinger, who created this amazing site.

Last chance to read microfiche before the world ends at 6 pm tonight

2011-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings, If the world ends at 6 pm tonight, today may be your last chance to read microfiche (in this world, at least). So come on in. The GGU University Library is open until 5 pm today, giving you plenty of time after we close to get ready for the rapture.

Remember we are here for you forever --or at least until the world ends.

Online course should always include proctored exams

2011-05-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, GGU CyberCampus does this as SOP. To understand it's importance (and to read some startling admissions from students) see the post in the Chronicle of Higher Education's Wired Campus on proctored exams for online students.

Then there is the question of cheating. Ms. Wachenheim’s study did not gather any direct evidence, but she reports anecdotally that students have told her how they work in groups to compile huge caches of the publishers’ test-bank questions. She quotes one student as saying, “We may not learn the material, but we are guaranteed an A.”

One wonders how much they would learn if they expended the same amount of effort reading the course material as they do on avoiding reading the course material?

Managing your online reputation

2011-05-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

Faculty and anyone else who regularly publishes (or would like to some day): be mindful of your online reputation.

An article in Nature News, Best face forward, explains how not just to keep track of your online presence, but to take more control over it.

Most interesting is the mention of a private company that will do this for you:

Online Reputation Manager, headquartered near Rochester, New York, is a company that uses search-engine optimization strategies to repair the online image of clients who have been besieged with unfavourable press.

Here's a new sub-field within Public Relations I hadn't heard of before. Know any other similar companies? Please let us know in the comments.

Five gadgets that will be dead in 5 years

2011-05-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Prof. Bob Fulkerth:

Five gadgets that will be dead in 5 years. From MSNBC's Gadgetbox blog.

2011-04-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Inside Higher Education today alerted us to the new book
'The Constitution Goes to College: Five Constitutional Ideas That Have Shaped the American University in which the author, Rodney A. Smolla, president of Furman University, "argues that key values in American higher education can be traced to the U.S. Constitution. Some of the traditions in academe that the book traces to the Constitution include the divide between public and private spheres, the distinction between rights and privileges and ideas of equality." The book is published by New York University Press. Quote is from Inside Higher Education, http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/04/26/new_book_about_how_the_constitution_influences_higher_education retrieved April 26, 2011. The Inside Higher Education article, also available via tiny url: http://tinyurl.com/constitutionuniversity, includes an interview with the author. Following is one question and an excerpt from the author's response:
"Q: How do you see the Constitution influencing the shape of private higher education in the United States, given that private colleges are not state actors?

A: I argue that there is a 'shadow constitution,' a blend of statutes, contracts, and customs, providing a network of principles that often mirror the protections that derive directly from the Constitution, providing legal or customary protections that largely reflect constitutional principles and doctrines. ..."

Willingness and ability to learn identified as key traits for CEOs

2011-04-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

"The C.E.O.’s are not necessarily the smartest people in the room, but they are the best students," writes Adam Bryant in an article adapted from The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons From CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed. The article appeared in the New York Times, April 16, 2011.

In the book, which was just published, Adam Bryant analyzes interviews he has conducted with 70 leaders to determine traits that indicate what it takes to be a leader. The five traits he identifies in the article are: 1. "Passionate curiosity," 2. "Battle-hardened confidence," 3. "Team smarts," 4. "A Simple Mind Set," and 5. "Fearlessness"

We are ordering Adam Bryant's book for the GGU University Library, so you can soon come and check it out.

Student Success in Higher Education Report from AFT

2011-04-04T17:04:00.001-07:00

Academic Impressions today alerts us to the report, "Student Success in Higher Education," from the American Federation of Teachers Higher Education.

According to the AFT website http://www.aft.org/yourwork/highered/studentsuccess.cfm
"The report outlines a number of key elements of college student success, recommends ways to create effective programs and outlines the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in creating the conditions for students to succeed. The publication is based on extensive outreach with AFT higher education members and education policymakers, as well as a series of focus groups among higher-risk first- and second-year college students that are documented in the companion report "Exploring Student Attitudes, Aspirations and Barriers to Success."

Quote is from http://www.aft.org/yourwork/highered/studentsuccess.cfm

retrieved April 4, 2011. Both reports, Student Success in Higher Education, and Exploring Student Attitudes, Aspirations and Barriers to Success, are available at the website for downloading.

Enhanced Access to Chronicle of Higher Education

2011-02-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

The University Library has provided online access to The Chronicle of Higher Education to GGU faculty, students and staff for over a year now. We now have an enhancement to the online service.

The University's email domain "@ggu.edu" has been added to the authentication database. As a result, anyone who has, or creates, a free Chronicle account using this email domain, will now be able to do a number of things, including,

Access premium content posted at Chronicle.com from any location without going through your institution's proxy server
Access premium content from one's smart phone
E-mail articles to colleagues.

Just a reminder, the GGU subscription also provides the following:

Sign up for any of our free e-newsletters such as Academe Today,
Chronicle Review, the Global Edition, and others
Sign up for job alerts
Participate in Chronicle forums
Comment on Chronicle articles

You can use the link above to go to the web site to create your personal account now.

How to read a paper

2011-02-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

Although this relates to "hard" science, the basic principles of reading an academic or purportedly academic paper remain true. Perhaps this may serve as a reading assignment for a brief introduction to critical reading?

How to read a paper, by Ben Goldacre.

Virtual Education Goes Mainstream

2010-12-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

There's a new page on the Chronicle of Higher Education, a special report about Online Learning: Virtual Education Goes Mainstream

Browse the page for links to articles on various aspects of online education, including its evolution, case studies about specific programs, The role of video, Faculty training and more.

Some of the articles require a subscription. If you find an article you would like to read in the online version of the Chronicle of Higher Education but lack your own subscription, current GGU faculty, students and staff can contact the University Library for an e-mail copy of the full-text.

Confessions of a custom-essay writer

2010-11-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a rather unsettling story by the man who writes your students papers. This is a must-read for anyone concerned about plagiarism and academic integrity. Some of the more disturbing pieces of information he shares include the fact that none of his "clients" have ever complained about getting caught.

The anonymous writer boasts of how much money he makes, how business is booming. Then he adds the usual invective the dishonest use to deflect responsibility for their actions: he blames us.

I live well on the desperation, misery, and incompetence that your educational system has created.

Don't worry - it gets worse:

For those of you who have ever mentored a student through the writing of a dissertation, served on a thesis-review committee, or guided a graduate student through a formal research process, I have a question: Do you ever wonder how a student who struggles to formulate complete sentences in conversation manages to produce marginally competent research? How does that student get by you?

Like it or not, "Ed Dante" poses a valid question. Do students here at Golden Gate University "get by us" using unique, custom-made papers? Do you have in-class writing assignments that allow you to compare "live" writing samples to finished assignments? What other strategies do you use to detect or deter plagiarism? How do they relate to custom-written papers? Please share your thought in the comments.

Plagiarism has grown into a major problem given the ubiquitous and anonymous nature of internet and internet-based businesses. To give you some perspective, the company Dante works for employs about 50 writers. And there are many more such companies "out there." What do we do about this?

Google scooping up WiFi info

2010-10-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Recently, Google was caught by "German data authorities" acquiring confidential information from its fleet of street mapping vehicles. According to Google it was gathering information to improve its service to WiFi users, but it also scooped up e-mail addresses and passwords. While Google apologizes for the mistake,

Google said its cars were supposed to collect only the names of and identifying information from Wi-Fi routers, which it uses as an ad-hoc GPS system to localize searches for mobile users. The company said it inadvertently captured internet traffic as well, but never looked at it. While it has apologized for the collection, Google is arguing in court that Wi-Fi sniffing is not illegal.

Although the Federal Trade Commission has closed its investigation without bringing charges, Google faces other government investigations and class actions suits around the world.

Read the story on Wired

4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy

2010-09-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education online has an article by Prof. James M. Lang that may interest faculty and DBA students:

4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy.

This article contains practical advice for avoiding the usual boiler-plate statements Prof. Lang has read over the years as he has served on many search committees.

Any who experience difficulties accessing this article please contact the library for assistance.

Trends in College Spending Online Data System

2010-08-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Check out Trends in College Spending Online, a data system that allows "institutional-level comparisons with ... national data" regarding revenue, expenditures, enrollments, and other metrics.

Quote above and excerpts below are from
http://www.tcs-online.org/Home.aspx

Excerpts from website follow:

"Trends in College Spending (TCS) Online is an interactive web-based data system that gives higher education stakeholders easy access to information on finance, performance, and enrollments for individual institutions, groups of institutions, or the nation as a whole. Recent patterns in higher education finance are presented using six primary "metrics" compiled by the Delta Cost Project .... The TCS system allows institutional-level comparisons with those national data.

Six Metrics:
Revenue: Where Does the Money Come From?
...
Expenditures: Where Does the Money Go?
...
Performance: Outcomes and Spending
Spending Comparisons: Prices and Enrollments vs. Spending
...
Enrollment: Where Do Students Go?
...
Full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollments and headcount enrollment by undergraduate/graduate level, full-time/part-time status, race/ethnicity are shown.

Data
TCS Online presents select data from the Delta Cost Project IPEDS Database from 2002 forward. The Delta Database was compiled from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) surveys; all higher education institutions that participate in federal student financial aid programs are required to submit data on enrollments, finance, staffing, and completions each year. In some instances, the Delta Cost Project has adjusted the reported data to allow for more consistent comparisons over time and across different reporting standards (see the documentation tab of the TCS system). All financial data in TCS are reported per full-time equivalent (FTE) student and can be shown in current or inflation-adjusted dollars."

Excerpt above is from http://www.tcs-online.org/Home.aspx retrieved August 9, 2010

We learned of this site through The Chronicle of Higher Education's e-mail alert from today@chronicle.com

Key Characteristics of Higher Ed Schools that Graduate More Students

2010-07-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

Grant Makers for Education report
From Access to Success: A Funders Guide to Ensuring More Americans Earn Postsecondary Degrees
http://edfunders.org/downloads/GFEReports/GFE_FromAccessToSuccess_FundersGuide.pdf

indicates:
"Postsecondary institutions that graduate significantly higher percentages of students share several key characteristics:
1. They use data consistently and from the start, reviewing performance data starting in the first six weeks of the semester. They act quickly on the data to get students (and faculty and staff) the support they need, from the first moment it’s clear they need it.
2. They’re redesigning the courses where they lose a lot of students, often introductory classes that have become early barriers rather than
early entry to college success.
3. They require what matters: anything that contributes to student success——such as attendance in lectures, labs and tutoring sessions——becomes required. When students know they are held accountable for particular activities, they are more likely to complete those activities, and thus more likely to graduate.
4. They clearly assign responsibility for student success. At the department level, at the advisory level, at the leadership level——people look at, talk about and act on student progress, because they know they are accountable for it.
5. Their leaders focus on student success as an institutional priority, with presidents and provosts making it clear in their speeches, in meetings and throughout the institution’s activities that improving graduation rates is the very core of their institutional mission.
6. They don’t give up on students, which keeps students from giving up on themselves. Schools reach out to students who have left, asking them to come back and providing the supports they need to succeed once they return."

Quote from report, p, 4, retrieved July 22, 2010

Postsecondary Education --Progress towards 2025 Goals

2010-07-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings, for reports on progress towards Postsecondary Education Goals in the US for 2025, see

http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/reports

Website includes links to

2010 Progress Report
"The commission’s goal of 55 percent of young adults receiving a postsecondary credential by 2025 can be measured on a regular basis. The 2010 Progress Report identifies measures that give some indication of the current status and future changes that impact the goal and recommendations, and illustrates the degree to which the nation is moving toward - or away from - the necessary steps for ensuring an educated and enlightened citizenry."

State Policy Guide
"The College Board and the National Conference of State Legislatures joined together to produce a practical policy guide to help state legislators to pursue each of the commission’s recommendations. The State Policy Guide offers a road map toward increasing the number of Americans who attain a postsecondary degree, and empowers legislators to be an even more positive and active force in education reform."

Quotes from website retrieved July 22, 2010

Changes in Higher Education Enrollment

2010-07-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

In
"The End of Admissions As We Know It"
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/The-End-of-Admissions-as-We/25677/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Eric Hoover alerts us to
a new white paper, “The End of Higher Education Enrollment as We Know It,” written by "Greg Perfetto, vice president for research and development at Admissions Lab (formerly 422 Group), a higher-education consulting firm."

Mr Perfetto predicts "tomorrow’s students will be more 'employment oriented' than before; and that near-term financial considerations (as opposed to the perceived long-term value of an education) will probably shape colleges choices more than they do today." and “The future college prospect … will have a very different orientation toward technology, information, and, most of all, creditability.”

The full report is available via http://www.admissionslab.com/portals/0/white-papers/The-End-of-Higher-Education-Enrollment.pdf

The Web Means the End of Forgetting, in New York Times

2010-07-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Check out
"The Web Means the End of Forgetting"
By JEFFREY ROSEN
in The New York Times, 7/25/2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/magazine/25privacy-t2.html?th&emc=th

Jeffrey Rosen discusses "a challenge that, in big and small ways, is confronting millions of people around the globe: how best to live our lives in a world where the Internet records everything and forgets nothing — where every online photo, status update, Twitter post and blog entry by and about us can be stored forever."

Rosen also mentions in passing that "the Library of Congress recently announced that it will be acquiring — and permanently storing — the entire archive of public Twitter posts since 2006."

Quotes are from the article, accessed July 22, 2010 via http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/magazine/25privacy-t2.html?th&emc=th

Morningstar Methodologies for rating funds, stocks, ETFs and corporate bond ratings

2010-07-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how Morningstar determines its ratings for funds, stocks, ETFs and corporate bonds?

The most recent Morningstar Library Edition,* alerts us that Morningstar methodologies for rating funds, stocks, ETFs and corporate bonds are now available under the Help & Education page of the Morningstar database, which GGU students and faculty can access through the University Library database pages. You can also access the methodolgies from the callout box icon on the data pages themselves, or from the Morningstar Rating Tab on the "left side navigation bar for all stocks, funds, and ETFs. From there you can get the Star Ratings and access the data definitions." Quote is from Morningstar Investment Research Center E-Newsletter by Susan Dziubinski Vol. 9, Issue 8 July 13, 2010

Following is an excerpt from this Morningstar Library Edition,

"The Help & Education page contains documents that explain the rationale and calculations that make up the Morningstar Ratings for funds, stocks, ETFs, and corporate bonds. You can find these PDFs in the lower right corner of the Help & Education page, just below the glossary."

"Ratings methodologies vary for each investment type: Mutual fund ratings are calculated very differently than stock ratings. Each document will explain how the rating works and what that means for investors. The ratings have one common theme: They range from one to five stars, except for the Bond Ratings, which use a scale from AAA down to B.

"Another way to get the information on Morningstar Ratings and measures is on the data pages themselves. For example, you'll notice on a stock's quote page that there is a callout box set beside the Morningstar proprietary terms. This allows you to get the definition by just clicking on the icon. There is also a Morningstar Rating tab on the left-side navigation bar for all stocks, funds, and ETFs. From there you can get the Star Ratings and access the data definitions."

Excerpt is from
*Morningstar Investment Research Center E-Newsletter by Susan Dziubinski Vol. 9, Issue 8 July 13, 2010

For more information and guidance on using Morningstar for GGU related research, GGU students and faculty are encouraged to contact your friendly GGU Ulib librarians. You can stop by the reference desk, call 415 442-7244, e mail askalibrarian@ggu.edu, or IM us from the University Library homepage, LibGuides, or Facebook Page. We are here for you.

2010-07-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share with you

Careers Slideshow:
The C-Suite: 6 Skills To Advance Your Career

http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Careers/The-CSuite-6-Skills-To-Advance-Your-Career-348014/?kc=EWWHNEMNL07192010EOAD

By Dennis McCafferty on 2010-07-14

which came through on CIO Insight today --and is relevant for other fields, as well as Information Management and Technology.

Check it out. What do you think are key skills for career advancement?

Trends in College Spending: 1998-2008

2010-07-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Check out
Trends in College Spending, 1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 8 : Where does the money come from? Where does i t go? WHAT DOES IT BUY?
from Delta Cost Project

as described in NACUBO Bulletin, July 19, 2010

"New Report Examines Trends in College Spending
The Delta Cost Project on Postsecondary Costs, Productivity, and Accountability has released a report examining trends in spending and revenue at colleges and universities in the United States from 1998 to 2008. In addition, the Delta Cost Project has unveiled its Trends in College Spending (TCS) Online, a Web-based database that tracks the spending and revenue sources of 2,300 public and private colleges and universities."

Above quote is from NACUBO Bulletin, July 19 2010

The web-based database is available via http://www.tcs-online.org/Home.aspx

"Trends in College Spending (TCS) Online is an interactive web-based data system that gives higher education stakeholders easy access to information on finance, performance, and enrollments for individual institutions, groups of institutions, or the nation as a whole. Recent patterns in higher education finance are presented using six primary "metrics" compiled by the Delta Cost Project (shown below). These metrics mirror those in the Delta Cost Project’s Trends in College Spending reports, where national-level patterns and trends are presented. The TCS system allows institutional-level comparisons with those national data. " Quote from website
retrieved July 19, 2010

Report is available via http://www.deltacostproject.org/resources/pdf/Trends-in-College-Spending-98-08.pdf

"The data in this report were drawn from the Delta Cost Project IPEDS database, which
was developed using publicly available data reported to the federal government
through annual IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) surveys on
higher education finance, enrollments, completions, and student aid. Adjustments
were made to harmonize and standardize the data as much as possible to account for
changes over time in accounting standards and IPEDS reporting formats. These
adjustments ensure reasonable consistency in the patterns over time and allow broad
comparisons between public and private institutions. The data are standardized by
FTE enrollments and adjusted for inflation to further facilitate these comparisons."
Quote is from Report, p. 6, retrieved July 19, 2010

GOAL! World Cup Visualization of Data

2010-06-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings, all you World Cup fans. Great resources available to help you track all the data include
The NYTimes Visualization of Live World Cup Football Statistics, which I was alerted to via Information Aesthetics

http://infosthetics.com/archives/2010/06/the_nytimes_version_of_real-time_football_statistics_visualization.html

The Information Aesthetics post also alerted me to the following

Visual Sport Social Visualization of (Live) World Cup Football Statistics http://infosthetics.com/archives/2010/06/visualsport_2.html

Adidas Match Tracker http://infosthetics.com/archives/2010/05/adidas_match_tracker_experience_a_soccer_game_like_a_data_geek.html

World Cup Visualizer iPAD app for all you affluent geeks
http://infosthetics.com/archives/2010/06/world_cup_visualiser_follow_real-time_football_statistics_on_your_ipad.html

and Total Football iPhone app http://www.totalfootball2010.com/

Data!
We have data!
We have loads and loads of data!

GGUers, Please join us for our Data for Decisions workshop, July 14, 5-6 pm, room 5224, 536 Mission Street. And if you have questions about the data you need (or other research you are doing) please contact your friendly librarians. GOAL!

Fun video from University of Bergen on a topic dear to us all

2010-06-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings, I am most sure you will enjoy this fun video from the University of Bergen.

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Video-Wednesday/24622/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

It is in Norwegian, but I am confident you will be able to get the gist of it--even if you don't speak Norwegian, as the developers have kindly provided English subtitles.

A new twist on Dicken's Christmas Carol, on a topic of vital importance for our time.

Enjoy!

Janice

The mysteries of human cognitive functions explored

2010-05-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ben Goldacre, an English Science geek, reports on some interesting
research into human perception: the influence of evidence on decision
making and formation of opinions.

He describes research which show that corrections to news
articles have the effect of reinforcing the proven false allegation,
rather than removing or reducing it. No idea why yet. Test subjects
reading faux news articles which contained corrections to allegations
presented earlier in the text vs. the control group that read the
same first bit but without the corrections determined that if the
first part coincides with the test subject's existing biases then the
correction has the counter-intuitive effect of reinforcing the
information contradicted by the correction.

For more details and a link to the research study see Goldacre's Evidence based smear campaigns

Web Tool to Explore How Products Influence Stock Prices

2010-04-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Neat interactive tool to explore relative influence of various products on a company's stock price available from trefis.com. Once you sign up for a free account, you can alter trend lines to build your own stock price estimates.

We learned of this through Information Aesthetics e-mail alert received on April 2:

Trefis: Understanding How Products Influence Stock Price

Posted: 31 Mar 2010 10:22 PM PDT

"Trefis [trefis.com] offers visual snapshots that demonstrate the relative importance of products that comprise a specific company's stock price. People can interactively personalize any forecast using their local knowledge or expertise to build conviction in a stock price estimate or ask questions and vet opinions on specific forecasts with experts and friends."

How to Grow the Bottom Line in a Down Economy March 25, 5-6 pm free

2010-03-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

How to Grow the Bottom Line
in a Down Economy
Turnaround Techniques with Dr. Don Bibeault, author of the bestselling book Corporate Turnaround: How Managers Turn Losers into Winners

Thursday, March 25, 5-6 pm
(Admission is free)
Golden Gate University
536 Mission Street, San Francisco, Auditorium 2202

The economy is down but your company’s results needn’t be. Get ideas on positioning your company from one of America’s premier turnaround leaders.
Dr. Don Bibeault, author of the bestselling book Corporate Turnaround: How Managers Turn Losers into Winners, will show how your company can emerge as an even stronger competitor as the economy heals.

For more information, contact Janice Carter,
jcarter@ggu.edu 415 442-7248

Green Printing - Really!

2010-02-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

After some delays due to set-up issues, GGU's Green Printing "pay-for-print" is now live.

Green Print Information

Cost is $0.12 per page.
All public printers in the University Library operate by using a copy card. Cards may be purchased from the card dispenser located in the Mission Street room next to the copy machine.
You will need to use a one dollar bill for the first copy card purchase. After you receive your card, you may add additional money to your card if you wish. Please do not insert more than one dollar bill for initial card.
If you already have a card, insert the card in the card dispenser and add whatever amount you wish to add into bill acceptor.
For problems with printers and refunds, see the circulation desk staff.
Faculty & Staff should contact their departments for a copy card; library staff do not have the ability to give faculty/staff free printing or photocopies.

Step-By-Step Instructions

At the Computer:

When you are ready to print a document, click File and select Print.
Select desired print options and click OK.
At the Name prompt field, please type your full name and Click NEXT.
Go to the Print Release Station nearest to your computer.

At the Print Release Station:

Insert your Copy Card into the card reader for print job list.
Type in the name you entered for your print job.
Notice the number of pages and cost for your print job.
Click Print or Delete.
Remove your Copy Card completely from the reader after you are done.

International Industry Information

2010-01-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

Larry notified us that Information Advisor made its article on locating International industry information, published last month, freely available via

http://informationadvisor.com/InternationalRoundup.pdf

According to Bob Berkman, editor of The Information Advisor, the article is

"a round up of some of the best sources (market research and industry
databases, international agencies like UN, OECD, World Bank, associations,
etc.); and search strategies for zeroing in on official and reputable
information on industries around the globe."

Note that the GGU University Library provides GGU students and faculty with access to the major stand alone databases the article recommends: 1) Mergent Online, 2) S&P Net Advantage, and 3) OneSource, as well as to some of the databases the article's author accesses via Dialog, ABI Inform and the Economist.

A number of the organizational links the author provides are also included in the GGU University Library Country Information LibGuide, available via http://ggu.libguides.com/country

Balancing work and school number one reason students leave college, according to Public Agenda survey

2009-12-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

"The number one reason students give for leaving school
is the fact that they had to work and go to school at the
same time and, despite their best efforts, the stress of
trying to do both eventually took its toll. ..." according to a survey by Public Agenda, http://www.publicagenda.org/files/pdf/theirwholelivesaheadofthem.pdf funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
p 5

"So what would help?"
Most "point first to options that would give them more
flexibility in schedules and help them mitigate the challenge of working
and going to school at the same time. Eight in 10 of those who did not
complete college supported two proposals that they believe would make
college graduation feasible: 1) making it possible for part-time students to
be eligible for more financial aid (81 percent said this would help 'a lot');
and 2) offering more courses in the evening and on weekends so that they
could continue working while taking classes (78 percent said this would
help 'a lot')." p. 18

We were alerted to the study by an entry in an Academic Impressions e-mail which linked to a Washington Post article,
"Majority of College Dropouts Cite Financial Struggles as Main Cause," by Jenna Johnson, Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 9, 2009; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120903045.html

Intersecting Social Justice and Public Policy for a Better Understanding of Who Lives in America

2009-10-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Please join us for an exciting, free presentation on Intersecting Social Justice and Public Policy for a Better Understanding of Who Lives in America

Friday, October 23, 2009
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Golden Gate University
536 Mission Street, San Francisco, Room 5203

Dr. Johnson’s research centers on social justice and equity within the fields of higher education, human resource management, leadership and public affairs. He seeks to give “voice” to populations traditionally underrepresented such as people of color, LGBT individuals, women and immigrants.

Dr. Richard Greggory Johnson III has edited and contribued to the following books:

• Resilience: Queer Professors from the Working Class (with Ken Oldfield,
SUNY, 2008);
• A Twenty-First Century Approach to Teaching Social Justice: Education for both Advocacy and Action (Peter Lang, 2009) and
• The Queer Community: Continuing the Struggle for Social Justice (Birkdale, 2009).

Dr. Johnson graduated from Golden Gate University with a Doctorate in Public Policy and Administration in 1995 and is currently an Associate Professor with Tenure in the Leadership and Policy Studies Masters and Doctoral Programs at the University of Vermont.

Please spread the word to others who may be interested.

For more information contact: Janice Carter, jcarter@ggu.edu
Director, GGU University Library

Future of U.S. Hispanic Marketing, Oct 15, 5-6 pm, 536 Mission Street, SF. Room 5207

2009-10-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Future of U.S. Hispanic Marketing

Thursday, October 15, 2009
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Golden Gate University
536 Mission Street, S.F., Room 5207

Hispanic marketing expert Jake Beniflah will discuss his
recent dissertation research and address:

• How companies can conceptualize the Hispanic population differently to address the changing demography.

• How to explore and understand the cultural nuances within the Hispanic market to better develop business strategies.

• The effects of acculturation on the cognitive structure.

Jake Beniflah is a student in GGU’s Doctor of Business Administration program. He has more than 17-years of marketing and advertising experience in the U.S. Hispanic market and is one of the few business practitioners in this country with a doctoral-level background in this area. In 2005, Beniflah started Integrados, a strategic brand consulting and marketing communications firm in San Francisco that specializes in the U.S. Hispanic segment. Beniflah’s clientele includes numerous Fortune 500 clients, such as Procter & Gamble, AT&T, Visa U.S.A., Volkswagen, Bank of America, Sprint PCS, and Chevron. He is also a contributing editor for HispanicBusiness, the only C-level publication for the U.S. Hispanic population.

For more information contact: Janice Carter, Director, GGU University Library, jcarter@ggu.edu

Sherlock Holmes of Research Shares Tips on How to Unearth "Hidden" Nuggets of Information

2009-10-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

How to Find It: Strategies to Unearth “Hidden” Nuggets of Information

Thursday, October 8, 2009
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Golden Gate University
536 Mission Street, S.F., Room 3323

Tons of information is available via Google and online databases. But what if you cannot find the information you need in easily accessible sources?

Investigative research expert Amy Stabler will show you how to:

• Identify government agencies, organizations or individuals that may have the information
• Make successful “cold calls”
• Search old telephone books, city directories, trade journals, and newspapers
• Use the “Wayback Machine” for old websites
• Find historical information on companies that no longer exist

Amy Stabler is a modern day Sherlock Holmes. For more than 15 years, she has tracked down “hidden” information on behalf of plaintiffs in asbestos and other types of lawsuits. Stabler is currently completing a Masters degree in Library & Information Science at San Jose State University and has worked as an Intern at the Golden Gate University Library.

For more information contact:
Wendy Giblin at (415) 977-2220 / gwendolynrose@yahoo.com

How to Determine a Potential Employer's Culture --from eweek

2009-08-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

It is important to find a work culture that works for you. So I was delighted this morning to see in eweek:
How to Determine a Potential Employer's Culture
http://blogs.eweek.com/careers/content001/benefits_perks/how_to_determine_a_potential_employers_culture.html?kc=EWKNLCSM08112009STR4

The eweek article is adapted from an article by Meridith Levinson
which appeared in CIO, July 31, 2009.

8 Ways Job Seekers Can Assess a Prospective Employer's Corporate Culture

English Language News Sources from throughout the world

2009-07-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun source for freely available English language news sources from throughout the world http://www.world-newspapers.com You can search by country or by topic.

Please remember that many other news sources, not freely available via the Web, are available without charge to GGU students and faculty via the GGU University Library databases.

Click on Journals by Title, on the University Library home page, to determine which database provides full text of a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper article you are seeking.

Search University Library databases to find articles on specific subjects.

If you are not finding what you need, please ask!

Mergent Online Now Available

2009-07-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

The University Library has added a new business & financial database to the collection.

Check the library's Database page for a link to Mergent Online. Stop in at the reference desk for more information on how to use this GREAT resource!

Introduction to "E-Books"

2009-07-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Get an overview of "e-books" in this primer by Jane Lee of the California Digital Library and then try out the University Library's two online e-book services: ebrary & NetLibrary.

Be sure to contact us if you have any questions about the University Library's e-book service!

Counseling and Therapy in Video

2009-07-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

The University Library has recently added the online service "Counseling and Therapy in Video." With over 300 online videos, the collection allows students and scholars to see, experience, and study counseling in ways never before possible.

Look for the link on the library's Database page under the heading "Counseling and Therapy in Video."

Higher GPA, less info from search engines in research papers

2009-06-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

In a survey of more than 400 U.S. college students, Primary Research found
"The higher the grade point average the less information for research papers was obtained from search engines such as Google or Yahoo."

Thanks to Christian for alerting us to the description of the survey found on ResourceShelf:

http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/06/26/primary-research-publishes-the-survey-of-american-college-students-student-library-research-practices-skills/

which included the following:

"The report presents data from a survey of 400+ American college students about how they go about doing research in their college libraries. The 150+ page report gives extensive data on student use of major search engines, wikipedia, library databases, book collections and other library resources. The study also gives detailed information on how their professors advise them to use the library, and how comfortable they feel about their research skills and how helpful librarians have been in helping them in their research."

The full report is available from http://www.primaryresearch.com/

Coming Change in Social Media Business Applications

2009-06-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Check out:

The Coming Change in Social Media Business Applications: Separating the Biz from the Buzz, by Josh Gordon, from socialmediatoday.

http://www.socialscoop.biz/SMT_whitepaper_biz.pdf
I was alerted to this from CIOZone Daily

Quote from study, below:

"This study was designed to provide managers with guidance ...by measuring which social media tools are being used right now, and by whom. ...Part I is an overview of both current and future intended business use of social media. Part II focuses on the business use of Twitter, and Part III examines the business use of social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, with a separate focus on the four general business functions that social media serves: sales, marketing, public relations, and internal communications."
p. 2

Study concludes there is a "... coming shift in the use of social media--from a helpful tool for a variety of communication needs, to an essential tool for customer engagement." ... a "shift toward customer-centric use of social media"

Finding and analzying company financial data --June 20, 11 am

2009-06-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Finding and Analyzing Company Financial Data

How can you “zero in” on
• company financial data,
• company and industry financial ratios
• investment reports
and other sources for indepth analyses?

Join us for this workshop to explore sources that can help you find and analyze the data you need.

Saturday, June 20, 11 am to noon
University Library, meet at the Reference Desk

If you are interested in this workshop but are unable to attend, please stop by the reference desk, call 415-442-7244 or toll free 1-877-448-8542, or e-mail askalibrarian@ggu.edu to arrange for a workshop, in person or by phone and Web, tailored to your needs. Please also send us your ideas for other workshops and library services. We want to hear from you!

Data.gov goes public; see also US Gov Web Services and XML

2009-05-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

The excitement over the public availability of Data.gov may grow as more data becomes available through it. Check it out at http://www.data.gov/ which includes the statement: "The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government."

Though resources available via Data.gov are currently limited, a wealth of data is available via http://www.usgovxml.com which "is an attempt to document in one place and in a uniform manner the web services and XML data sources that are provided by the US government." Quote from www.usgovxml.com retrieved May 23, 2009.

UN World Digital Library

2009-04-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

Check out the UN World Digital Library, http://www.wdl.org/en/

Just found the following article by Steve Kolowich on The Chronicle's Wired Campus, see source attribution below:

"United Nations Opens World Digital Library"
"In the latest and perhaps broadest effort to provide instant
access to scholarly resources, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization today inaugurated its World
Digital Library, a Web site that allows visitors to browse
through a trove of artifacts spanning the history of
civilization. The site, four years in the making, brings
together historical manuscripts along with secondary literature
describing them-translated into seven different languages. The
library includes scanned documents from 27 libraries in 19
countries so far, including a manuscript from ancient Japan that
is believed to be the first novel ever. James H. Billington, the
U.S. librarian of Congress, who heads the project, says all
countries are welcome to contribute. The idea is to use Web
technology to put all of mankind's most precious artifacts in a
single, shared repository." -Steve Kolowich
Quote from
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=3726
retrieved April 21, 2009

Googlelabs, Newstimeline, Information and Epistemology

2009-04-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite e-mail alerts, Information Aesthetics, led me today to Googlelabs' Newstimeline http://newstimeline.googlelabs.com/

which, according to Information Aesthetics,
"organizes news stories and other information by date ..."

Only problem, the first link I see on the page when I go to http://newstimeline.googlelabs.com/ is

"Dancing With the Stars': Mark Ballas now officially my favorite pro..."

Apr 14, 2009, 02:15 PM | by Mandi Bierly

Nothing against Mark Ballas or Mandi Bierly, but THIS IS NEWS??????

To paraphrase from the Bible in a way that may bring down the wrath of God (or maybe not, maybe she will just put something in her blog about it):

"What is news, that thou are mindful of it?"

Am reminded of T.S. Eliot's line:

"Where is the wisdom we have lost in information?"

As an armchair epistemologist, the choices in Newstimeline are fascinating.
As a librarian, I see here, yet again, the need for increased media and information literacy.

Also for me, this was a discovery of Google Labs, and I will rejoice in that. Check it out! http://www.googlelabs.com/

Social Data Visualization

2009-04-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

"The new website Verifiable [verifiable.com] is yet another contender in the now seemingly crowded social data visualization area, which include other free services like Many Eyes, Swivel, iCharts, Trendrr, Widgenie, Track-n-Graph and Timetric. The goal of Verifiable is to "democratize data" as it allows to easily upload data, visualize it, join it with other data, and allows "the world" to interact with it.

Verifiable seems to be unique for its "clean, low-chartjunk philosophy" and its many included functionalities, including the ability to add one-click small multiples, access the data "behind" the visualization, interactively rechart it using different criteria, or to join the resulting visualizations with any other piece of data for comparison."

Quote from Information Aesthetics no_reply@infosthetics.com, received April 19, 2009.

To explore Verifiable go to http://verifiable.com/

Let us know what social data visualization sites work best for you.

Wikiality from Colbert's Nation

2009-04-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings, So this aired long ago but it is still priceless. Please see Colbert's video on wikiality. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/72347/july-31-2006/the-word---wikiality tinyurl http://tinyurl.com/6dxqd3

While I don't always agree with everything Colbert says, (I am a lot more liberal than he poses to be) this video has food for thought. And evaluating sources is where it is at these days, So please enjoy and evaluate.

OECD Updates Web Tool for Analyzing Regional Statistics

2009-04-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), "recently announced a new OECD eXplorer [stats.oecd.org], a very powerful web-tool for analyzing regional statistics. The new online geographic visualization is unique because of its focus on regional and states (versus national) statistical data, its large amount of features (from the choice of the color scale to deciding a percentile or uniform distribution) and its slick visual design. The data is based on OECD Regional Database, containing 30 indicators measuring demography, economic and labour market performance, education, healthcare, environmental outputs and knowledge-based activities. As Hans Rosling lectured before, the economic performance and social indicators can vary within countries every bit as much as they do between countries."

Quote is from one of my favorite alert services, Information Aesthetics
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosthetics/~3/8LeKcTsXlAY/oecd_explorer_online_tool_for_analyzing_regional_statistics_updated.html

Tiny url for link just above is http://tinyurl.com/cgpvuv

For easy access to OECD eXplorer, go to http://stats.oecd.org/OECDregionalstatistics/
Access requires Adobe Flash 10

Global Economic Forecast Update from the World Bank

2009-04-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings, in responding to a student query today, I came upon an updated report from the World Bank on Global Economic Prospects, which was issued on March 31, 2009

Global Economic Prospects 2009
Forecast Update
March 30, 2009
World Bank

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGEP2009/Resources/5530448-1238466339289/GEP-Update-March30.pdf

tinyurl for this site: http://tinyurl.com/cfm4pg

Readability

2009-03-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt fed up with trying to read something on the web? Are you tired of seeing a congo line of jerkily dancing teddy bears in the banner ad? Does trying to concentrate on the content with all the badly animated ads vying for your attention drive you crazy?

Readability will get rid of most of these distractions.

A free service, all you need to do is drag a button to your bookmarks bar on your browser. I will not work with databases (but then the commercial databases we pay for do not have animated ads). It may not work with other subscription based services either. But for much of the day-to-day reading of the web, it can cut out the visual noise - quickly and easily.

It can also remember your preferred settings for layout and font size, removing the need for you to make these adjustments with every single web site you visit every time.

Searching throughout the world: Country Based Search Engines

2009-03-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Phil Bradley who has comipiled links to country-based search engines throughout the world, see

Country-Based Search Engines

http://www.philb.com/countryse.htm

Scope note at beginning of site reads as follows: "Country search engines and regional search engines - currently a total of 4,017 search engines and 222 countries, territories, islands and regions. When 2 versions of a search engine were available I simply listed the search engine in English. I've tried to match the name to the title of the search engine when possible. Failing that I've used the search engine URL as the name." Quote is from website, listed above, retrieved March 8, 2009.

Thanks to Larry for bringing our attention to this terrific site!

The Daily Show on the Financial Crisis

2009-03-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

Although not a "scholarly" source, this clip from Jon Stewart's The Daily Show gives a factual run-down of hype vs. reality during 2007 and 2008. Useful as a tool for teaching critical thinking skills in evaluating business news reports.

CNBC gives financial advice.

UPDATED March 16, 2009:

Cramer vs. Stewart.

In the March 12th appearance by Jim Cramer (host of CNBC's Fast Money) on The Daily Show we find out more about Cramer's background in finance as Jon Stewart shows clips of a 2006 interview of Cramer when he worked as a hedge fund manager. Again, this should not be viewed as a scholarly source, but Stewart gives voice to popular anger over the present financial crisis in a most articulate manner.

By the way, you can also view three "out takes" of Cramer's interview on The Daily Show's home page (as of March 16, 2009).

How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity

2009-02-23T16:51:00.001-08:00

There's a great article in a recent issue of Harvard Business Review penned by Ed Catmull, Creative Director of Pixar Animation, discussing the creative process that the company fosters:

"While I’m not foolish enough to predict that we will never have a flop, I don’t think our success is largely luck. Rather, I believe our adherence to a set of principles and practices for managing creative talent and risk is responsible. Pixar is a community in the true sense of the word. We think that lasting relationships matter, and we share some basic beliefs: Talent is rare. Management’s job is not to prevent risk but to build the capability to recover when failures occur. It must be safe to tell the truth. We must constantly challenge all of our assumptions and search for the flaws that could destroy our culture."

To read the entire article online, follow this link to the library's online Harvard Business Review subscription:

http://0-search.ebscohost.com.library.ggu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=33982981&site=bsi-live

You will need to supply your last name and GGU ID number. If you have problems, be sure to check the Database Troubleshooting Guide.

Resources on the Financial Crisis

2009-02-21T11:57:00.000-08:00

Greetings, today while helping a student find overviews of the Financial Crisis, I came across

"Credit Crisis: The Essentials" from the New York Times.

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/credit_crisis/index.html

I like this source because of the way it organizes information regarding the US aspects of the crisis into a coherent overview.

I especially like this source because it links to
The U.S. Financial Crisis: The Global Dimension with Implications for U.S. Policy, from the Congressional Research Service.
Dick K. Nanto, Specialist in Industry and Trade at CRS coordinated the report, which is dated January 29. 2009.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/02/02/business/CRSGlobalDimension.pdf

To locate more excellent resources on the Financial Crisis, including Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and IMF portals, see Gene Springs excellent LibGuide
on the Current Economic Recession

GGU University Library staff will be glad to help members of the GGU community find more resources on the financial crisis and other topics.

Congratulations to Terry Connelly, Dean of the Ageno School of Business, for his chapter “The Unintended Consequences of the New Housing Recovery Act,” in the new book "The Financial Crisis, A Thomson Reuters/West Report," published by Thomson Reuters/West 2008. We are rush ordering a copy for the University Library.

Your PhD as interpretive dance

2009-02-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Strange but true: last year saw the first ever "Dance your PhD" Contest. A scientist named John Bohannon came up with the idea inspired by his friend Christoph Campreghe, a PhD candidate by day and a DJ by night.

Sadly, the deadline for the 2009 contest submissions passed last November 18th. But that gives all you doctoral candidates time to start working on your submission for next year!

Official Dance your PhD contest page: rules and submissions (with a few videos too)

For what it's worth, my personal favorite: The role of vitamin D in beta cell function (all PhD research starts in the dark, please be patient).

Watch them go: Dance your PhD at Youtube Select from a wide variety of fascinating PhD dance topics.

For those who care about such trivial matters: Can Scientists Dance? an article in Science magazine telling you all you ever wanted to know and more than you ever wanted to know about the Dance your PhD contest.

Financial Data Statistics Turned into Music by Microsoft Songsmith

2009-02-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

Greetings, Though I have a zillion other things I should be doing, have to share with you a resource our local data guru just sent to me:
Financial Data Statistics Turned into Music

http://fromthedeskofthemayor.blogspot.com/2009/02/world-crisis-charts-fed-into-microsoft.html

He found it through Information Aesthetics http://infosthetics.com/

Now I'm a believer.

State Health Facts Database

2009-02-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

Looking for health statistics broken down by state? Try the free State Health Facts web site:

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/

"Statehealthfacts.org is a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and is designed to provide free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states. Statehealthfacts.org provides data on more than 500 health topics and is linked to both the Kaiser Family Foundation website and KaiserNetwork.org." (text from web site)

For more information about the site, or for citation instructions, please visit their "About" page: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/about.jsp

Outsourcing

2009-02-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

There's an interesting article over at sfgate.com about outsourcing:

Web-based hiring halls filling workforce gaps

"Outsourcing started as a corporate trend, driven by large companies that had the sophistication to shift factory and office work to English-speaking locations overseas. Now new online tools are giving small businesses and entrepreneurs the same ability to assemble and manage teams of workers anywhere in the world, providing lower-cost, skilled labor without the benefits that come with full-time jobs."

Podcast: Galbraith (Jr.) on the economy

2009-02-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

Bloomberg News Podcast on the economy this week features an interview with economist James Galbraith (son of John Kenneth Galbraith). He discusses the failure of de-regulation and monetarism as well as possible long term solutions to the present financial situation.

About 27 minutes long.

Download/listen to the podcast (MP3)

Porter Podcast on the Financial Crisis

2009-01-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Bloomberg News Podcast on the economy this week features an interview with Michael Porter (he of the Five Forces theory). He describes how he applies his 5 forces model to the current situation.

The interview also ranges over a number of interesting topics, such as the internet's role in the economy, book prices and a particularly interesting examination of the U.S. health care system. About a half an hour long.

Download/listen to the podcast (MP3)

BusinessWeek article on Innovation

2009-01-27T11:56:00.001-08:00

For all you gamers, head over to Business Week Online for a look at their article:

How World of Warcraft Promotes Innovation
"This video game demonstrates in its structure and scoring some fundamental principles for training employees to think creatively"

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jan2009/id20090114_362962.htm

If the above link has expired, access it via the Library's Business Source Complete database subscription.

IM a Librarian!

2009-01-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

You can now reach a University Librarian via the following Instant Messenger services:

America Online (AOL) AIM: gguaskalibrarian
MSN Messenger: askalibrarian@ggu.edu

Feel free to add us to your Buddy List and then ask us for help!

As always, Reference Librarians are also available via the Meebo chat widget on the library's web site.

(Apple iChat users can also contact us by using the AOL AIM address)

Free Labor Statistics

2009-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for international labor statistics? Well, head on over to the ILO Bureau of Statistics and check out their LABORSTA Internet database.

http://laborsta.ilo.org/

"Freely-available online database of labor statistics from 200 countries and territories. Provides yearly data on topics like total and economically active population, employment, unemployment, hours of work, wages, labor cost, consumer price indices, occupational injuries, and strikes and walkouts. Also includes household income and expenditure data. Some estimates available."

McDonald's Thriving

2009-01-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

For those following the fast-food industry, the New York Times has an interesting article analyzing how McDonald's is thriving in the current economic situation:

It wasn’t too long ago that McDonald’s, vilified as making people fat, was written off as irrelevant. Now, six years into a rebound spawned by more appealing food and a less aggressive expansion, McDonald’s seems to have won over some of its most hardened skeptics.
The chain has managed to sustain its momentum even as the economy and the restaurant industry as a whole are struggling. Month after month, McDonald’s has surprised analysts by posting stronger-than-expected sales in the United States and abroad.

Recession Info from IBISWorld

2009-01-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

The University Library's IBISWorld database is now including recession information in its industry reports:

To better serve our clients in this difficult time, IBISWorld has developed an immediate-term Recession Update for each industry in the U.S. economy. Each update includes quarterly forecasted growth and an in-depth look at the shifting business landscape and its immediate repercussions on each specific industry. Together the full report and provisional Recession Update can be used as a comprehensive review of long and short-term economic implications.

To view the updates visit the IBISWorld database and find the chapter named Recession Update in every report's Table of Contents.

Institute for Supply Management releases its December manufacturing report

2009-01-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

One of the key economic reports for the U.S., compiled from a survey of corporate purchasing managers. Read the report here.

Find Patents With Google!

2008-12-29T11:38:00.000-08:00

Do you need to find patent information? Google comes to the rescue by providing a way to search by keywords, patent name, or author with their (beta) Patent Search Engine.

Find it at: http://www.google.com/patents

Tips: Click the Advanced Patent Search link to search specific patent criteria. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds for search results that will let you keep an eye on any new developments. For more information on using Google Patent Search, please refer to the Google Patents help page.

Also, be sure to visit the official US Patent & Trademark Office web site for other patent resources.

Dec 28th, 2008 - The euro celebrates its 10th anniversary on Jan. 1.

2008-12-29T10:18:00.001-08:00

Here are key dates:

-- 1970: The Werner Report, named for Luxembourg's joint prime minister and finance minister at the time, outlines a plan for a European monetary union.

-- 1978: The European Monetary System -- with an exchange rate mechanism and European Currency Unit -- is launched.

-- 1992: Maastricht Treaty lays out timetable and criteria for joining the euro. EU members Denmark and Britain given permission to opt out.

-- 1994: The European Monetary Institute, forerunner of the European Central Bank, launched.

-- 1997: The Stability and Growth Pact agreed on to ensure countries using the euro will support it with budgetary discipline.

-- June 1, 1998: The ECB begins operations.

-- Dec. 31, 1998: Exchange rates between the euro and the currencies of first 11 countries are fixed.

-- Jan. 1, 1999: The euro is officially launched on financial markets; national notes and coins continue to circulate.

-- Jan. 1, 2001: Greece joins the euro zone.

-- Jan. 1, 2002: Euro bank notes and coins are rolled out.

-- September 2003: Swedes vote against adopting the euro.

-- Jan. 1, 2007: Slovenia becomes the 13 country to join.

-- Jan. 1, 2008: Cyprus and Malta join.

-- Jan. 1, 2009: Slovakia joins.

Research Study Finds Happiness Is Contagious

2008-12-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

For a gift that truly keeps on giving, here is a superb resolution for the New Year: Be Happy!

A "study of more than 4,700 people who were followed over 20 years
found that people who are happy or become happy boost the chances that
someone they know will be happy. The power of happiness, moreover, can
span another degree of separation, elevating the mood of that person's
husband, wife, brother, sister, friend or next-door neighbor."
The quote above is from a Washington Post article

"Happiness Can Spread Among People Like a Contagion, Study Indicates"
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer,
Friday, December 5, 2008; Page A08

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/04/AR2008120403537.html

The study, conducted by James H. Fowler, associate professor, Department of Political Science, University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas A Christakis, professor, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, has been published online by BMJ, the British Medical Journal. See http://www.bmj.com/cgi/search?fulltext=happiness&x=0&y=0
for a link to the study:

"Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study"
BMJ 2008;337:a2338, doi: 10.1136/bmj.a2338 (Published 4 December 2008)

The 27 Strangest Help Desk Requests Ever

2008-12-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

For a fun read during the holiday season, check out

The 27 Strangest Help Desk Requests Ever, from a survey by Robert Half Technology of 1,400 CIOS throughout the U.S.

See slide show available via CIOZone

http://www.ciozone.com/index.php/IT-Help-Desk.html

"Generation Y" Entrepreneurs

2008-12-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

There's an interesting article about Generation-Y with regards to startups over at the Inc.com blog:

I’ve been interviewing young entrepreneurs for almost two years now and one of the re-emerging themes in the businesses they start is dissatisfaction with the status quo. Sure, that’s pretty much true for all entrepreneurs, but this generation of upstarts has its own way of looking at existing products and services and judging them not quite up to snuff for their own needs. Their response: I can do better. The result: businesses like Mint.com, Unigo, and Ignighter.

Take a moment to check it out!

Google Trends

2008-12-09T11:39:00.001-08:00

There's a great new service, courtesy of Google, that lets you search trends:

With Google Trends, you can compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. Enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched on Google over time. Google Trends also shows how frequently your topics have appeared in Google News stories, and in which geographic regions people have searched for them most.

To access the service, go to:
http://www.google.com/trends

To read more about Google Trends, go to:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/trends/about.html

Lists of Best Books, via flashlightworthybooks.com

2008-12-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

Looking for something to read during the rainy days of winter? Or seeking books to give as gifts? Check out the many lists of "best" at
http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/category/2008_Lists/16

"How to Stay Successful and Sane in Today's Uncertain Economy," article by David Gewirtz, in eWeek.com

2008-11-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

Check out a short but wise article from eWeek.com --relevant for all of us, not just info tech folk:

How to Stay Successful and Sane in Today's Uncertain Economy By David Gewirtz
2008-11-20

Gewirtz recommends staying calm then thinking, spending wisely, continuing to market yourself and being kind.

Treat yourself to a short, quick read with wisdom beyond its length.

Commercial databases unavailable Nov 17, 9 pm to Nov 18, 5 am

2008-11-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

We regret that due to needed system maintenance all GGU University Library commercial electronic library resources will be unavailable from Monday, November 17,9:00PM (PST) until Tuesday, November 18, 5:00 AM

Google Scholar @ GGU!

2008-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

The University Library is pleased to announce that Google Scholar now has the ability to link directly to many of the articles that are available in the University Library's online databases.

When you find a citation in Google Scholar for an article that is available in a University Library database, simply click the link labeled "Read Full-Text @ GGU" (see sample below) next to the citation title. If you are using a computer on the main campus, you will be sent directly to the article. If you are using an off-campus computer, you must first configure Google Scholar to recognize you as a member of GGU:

Go to http://scholar.google.com
Click the "Scholar Preferences" link
Type Golden Gate University in the "Library Links" box and click the Find Library button.
Select the item labeled "Golden Gate University Library - Read Full-Text @ GGU".
Click the Save Preferences button at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have configured your off-campus computer so that Google Scholar recognizes you as a member of GGU, you only need enter your GGU ID number and last name when accessing articles via Google Scholar.

If you have any questions or would like a demonstration of how Google Scholar can help you locate articles online at GGU, please contact the University Library and make an appointment with a reference librarian.

Effects of Social Networking Sites on Voting Behavior

2008-11-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

And the debate and research continue ...

Excerpt below from The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Wired Campus http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/?id=3437&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
retrieved Nov 4, 2008

November 3, 2008
Study to Explore How Social-Networking Sites Influence Voting Behavior

(Crossposted from Campaign U. blog)

"Much has been written this election season about how the Internet, especially social-networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, has changed the way people access and share political information. But to what extent are these sites engaging potential voters? And how much information is just being scanned over or ignored?

These questions are the focus of a survey-based study by Gary Hanson and Paul Haridakis, communications professors at Kent State University. They plan to finish collecting data in the coming weeks and publish their findings by the beginning of next year.

Online social networking is playing a major role in a presidential election for the first time this campaign, Mr. Haridakis said in an interview, and without any quantitative research so far it’s possible that the effect of social networking on voter activism may be overstated. Although many Web users may have read a news article posted by a friend, for example, fewer may have gone so far as to post their own content. “It might mean they’re just getting more information, not more empowerment,” he said."

Web 2.0 and the election of the U.S. President.

2008-11-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

See Electing the President of a Web 2.0 Country
Written by Mel Duvall via CIO Zone

http://www.ciozone.com/index.php/Blogs/view/2070/.html

"As Benjamin Okande, Dean of the Webster University School of Business and Technology commented, the winner of this election will in all likelihood be determined by the I.P.O.D. generation – Internet savvy, Phone addicted, Opportunistic, and Digitally conscious.
'The future of American politics will never be the same,' said Okande. “The I.P.O.D.ers are poised to become the conscience of this nation.” Some 44-million strong, this digital generation represents a voting bloc not tied to the one-party mindset of their parents. 'If they don’t see results and movement away from the status quo, they will influence others with their phones and use the power of the Internet to ensure that other I.P.O.D.ers are keenly aware of their views.'

Quote from http://www.ciozone.com/index.php/Blogs/view/2070/.html
retrieved November 4, 2008

Atlas of the Human Journey via Genographic Project

2008-11-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Check out Atlas of the Human Journey, from 200,000 BC, via the Genographic Project

https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html

Open Technology, Content and Knowledge --Implications for Higher Education

2008-10-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

A kind e-mailer, Arun, alerted me through an e mail to World Association of Online Education, that there is freely available access on the Web for

The Collective Advancement of Education through Open Technology, Open Content, and Open Knowledge
Edited by Toru Iiyoshi and M. S. Vijay Kumar
Published by the MIT Press, September 2008

The website introduction to the book includes the following:
"These essays by leaders in open education describe successes, challenges, and opportunities they have found in a range of open education initiatives. They approach—from both macro and micro perspectives—the central question of how open education tools, resources, and knowledge can improve the quality of education."
Quote from http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11309, retrieved October 25, 2008.

Electronic versions of the book are made available under a Creative Commons license, thanks to support of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching.

Here is a link to the concluding chapter: "New Pathways for Shaping the Collective Agenda to Open Up Education," in which Toru Iiyoshi and M.S. Vijay Kumar recommend the following

"As the idea and practice of open education expand, it becomes increasingly critical to undertake systematic and systemic studies to better understand and clarify the transitions from traditional roles of educators and institutions to those needed to be effective in this ecology of technology-facilitied open education. ....One of the most significant aspects of the changes in front of us is the promise of blended learning environments that involve optimal combinations of the physical and virtual, and integrate conventional pedagogical methods with innovative network-based learning to deliver quality educational opportunities."

Other recommendations include:

"Change Education's Culture and Policy ...Recontextualize Roles and Values,"
"Make Open Education Solutions Sustainable,"
"Make Practice and Knowledge Visible and Sharable,"
"Build the Commons through the Collectivity Culture"

The authors go on to write:
"We encourage all involved in any aspect of developing and delivering education to heed this palpable "open" movement that is afoot, presenting the opportunity to redefine, rethink and rearticulate educational practice at several micro and macro levels--courses, programs, institutions or even nations."
Quotes are from http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chapters/0262033712chap28.pdf, retrieved October 25, 2008

2008-10-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

In 3 Ways Web-Based Computing Will Change Colleges, Jeffrey R. Young predicts that "In the next five years, Web-based computing will likely bring important changes in how students study, how scholars do research, and how college information-technology departments operate." His article appeared in Academe Today, the Chronicle of Higher Education's Daily report, Oct 23, 2008. Jeffrey R. Young alerts us to other resources on the same topic, from Daniel J. Solove and Educause.

Major concerns include privacy, as discussed by Daniel J. Solove, a law professor at George Washington University, in his book The Digital Person: Technology and Privacy in the Information Age.

Another work, which also discusses the confusions and promises of cloud computing in higher education, is The Tower and the Cloud scheduled to be released next week by Educause and freely available on its website.

Using Google Scholar at GGU

2008-10-21T15:03:00.001-07:00

The University Library is currently testing out a way to access articles online via Google Scholar. If you would like to participate, here's how:

Go to http://scholar.google.com
Click the "Scholar Preferences" link to the right of the search field
In the Library Links field, type: Golden Gate University
Click the Find Library button
Place a checkmark next to "Golden Gate University Library - Full-Text @ My Library"
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Save Preferences" button

Whenever an article found in Google Scholar is available in one of the University Library's full-text databases, you can click the "Full-Text @ My Library" link to access it.

Note: GGU patrons accessing Google Scholar from a a computer on the main SF campus do not need to configure anything, as it is automatically setup for you.

4.2 million green jobs by 2038--report by Global Insight for the U.S. Conference of Mayors

2008-10-19T14:38:00.001-07:00

There are currently 750,000 green jobs in the U.S. economy, and by 2038 there will be 4.2 million green jobs, according to an October 2008 report prepared by Global Insight for the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Mayors Climate Protection Center. See US Metro Economies: Current and Potential Green Jobs in the U.S. Economy, http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/GreenJobsReport.pdf

California Statistical Abstract

2008-10-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Are you having a difficult time locating statistical information about our fine state? If so, consider taking a look at the California Statistical Abstract. Compiled and published by the California Department of Finance, the report is:

...a compilation of data on social, economic, and physical aspects of the State. The volume is a cooperative effort of various government agencies, coordinated and issued annually by the California Department of Finance, Economic Research Unit.

You can find the abstract online, in PDF format, at: http://www.dof.ca.gov/HTML/FS_DATA/STAT-ABS/Statistical_Abstract.php

You can also download all of the table data included in the report to Microsoft Excel format for your own statistical needs.

2008-09-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

Current Cites, in its June 2008 issue, highlighted this article regarding generational differences in the workplace:

The problems of the "generations at work" (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y) have been bemoaned in many contexts. In this piece, the author details many of the same issues related to the generations [in the workplace.] What is different is that in this article, the context of all of these problems is corporate information technology organizations. While providing some small comfort that the "generation problem" is not something specific [to a given field], the real value of this short piece is its links to companion pieces, "Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation Y" (http://www.cio.com/article/149053) and "Generation X: Stepping Up to the Leadership Plate" (http://www.cio.com/article/28475). What is most fascinating about this article is that in the intervening months since it was first published, a number of readers have commented on the article. These comments add a fascinating and somewhat vividly disturbing demonstration of the issues discussed in the article. In the comments you will find Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y going at each other in exactly the ways the author described. Perhaps if they had read the companion pieces, they would be better able to get along.

Read the full article at the CIO.COM website.

FASB's new Convergence Central re International Convergence of Accounting Standards

2008-07-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Check out FASB's new CONVERGENCE
CENTRAL which boasts:
"Up to the minute information about the international convergence of accounting standards." And includes sections on
"Why Convergence?: An Overview"
and
"What Work Is Underway?"

Quotes from FASB http://www.fasb.org/
retrieved July 17, 2008.

Superb opportunity to check out other helpful resources available on the FASB site, including Emerging Issues Task Force Publications, Pronouncements and EITF Abstracts, and FASB webcasts.

We were alerted to Convergence Central via CCH's ACCOUNTING RESEARCH MANAGER (ARM) DAILY NEWS. GGU students and faculty have access to ARM through GGU University Library databases, and can sign up for the daily news. For more information, log in to the database or contact your friendly librarians at the GGU University Library. You are welcome to stop by the reference desk, call 415 442-7244, or e mail askalibrarian@ggu.edu
We are here for you!

Feds proposing to allow use of foreign accounting rules in US

2008-07-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the article in today's New York Times:

"Accounting Plan Would Allow Use of Foreign Rules"

By STEPHEN LABATON
Published: July 5, 2008

Here are the first two paragraphs:
"WASHINGTON — Federal officials say they are preparing to propose a series of regulatory changes to enhance American competitiveness overseas, attract foreign investment and give American investors a broader selection of foreign stocks.

The regulatory changes are on the agenda of Christopher Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
But critics say the changes appear to be a last-ditch push by appointees of President Bush to dilute securities rules passed after the collapse of Enron and other large companies — measures that were meant to forestall accounting gimmicks and corrupt practices that led to those corporate failures"

For more information see the article in the NYTimes http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/index.html
retrieved July 5, 2008

See also resources available on the SEC website http://www.sec.gov, especially
http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/ifrsroadmap.htm

and/or consult your friendly librarian for more info