New resources at NC LIVE

By Edward A. Hirst

Rowan Public Library

The New Year brings a wealth of new resources available online through NC Live. You can access these anytime from the comfort of your home or from within the library. You only need an RPL library card number and PIN for access from home.

Art & Architecture Complete: Magazines, journals, trade publications and books covering a variety of art and architecture subjects including antiques, art and art history, interior and landscape design and more.

Biography Reference Center: More than 450,000 biographies, including actors, authors, explorers, historical figures, inventors, musicians, presidents of the United States, scientists and many others.

Entrepreneurial Studies Source: Covers topics relevant to entrepreneurship and small business, including key magazines, reference books, case studies and company profiles.

Environment Complete: Journals on topics including agriculture, renewable energy sources, natural resources, marine and freshwater science, geography, pollution and waste management, environmental technology, urban planning and others.

Legal Information Reference Center: Contains hundreds of full-text publications and thousands of legal forms. The full-text legal reference books are provided through Nolo, the nation’s oldest and most-respected provider of legal information for consumers and small businesses.

Points of View: Provides students with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. This resource provides more than 280 topics, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (argument), counterpoint (opposing argument), and Critical Thinking Guide.

Small Business Reference Center: Offers a wide variety of information on small business and entrepreneurial subject areas, common business types, a help and advice section, and information on how to create business plans that lead to successful funding.

Small Engine Repair Reference Center: Detailed, user-friendly repair guides for all types of small engines.

In addition, NC LIVE has upgraded other resources, with additional content and new features:

Academic Search Complete: Magazines and journals on many subjects, includes peer-reviewed and scholarly works.

Business Source Complete: Journals, peer-reviewed publications, magazines on a wide range of topics including marketing, management, accounting, finance and economics.

Literary Reference Center Plus: Articles and criticisms, including peer-reviewed, bios and interviews, novels, short stories, poems and literary magazines.

MAS Complete: For high school and junior college students. They include magazines, original historical documents, such as the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers and the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Novelist K-8 Plus: Reader’s advisory service for fiction and nonfiction titles, designed to support the curriculum and kids’ pleasure reading. This is easily searchable by author, title, series name, plot and reading ability (Lexile level) with author read-alikes and lists of award-winners.

Computer classes: No computer classes at any RPL locations in January. Classes will resume in February.

Book Bites Club: South only, Jan. 31, 6:30 p.m., “Spell of the Highlander,” by Karen Marie Moning. Book discussion groups for both adults and children are held at South Rowan Regional Library and meet the last Tuesday of each month. The group is open to the public and free to join at any time. Discussion of the book, as well as light refreshments at each meeting. For more information please call 704-216-8229.

Music and storytelling evening at East Branch only: Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m., Rhythm Nights. Mike and Gaynell Lambert will perform a musical program with storytelling from Robert Jones followed by open mic readings from the community. Everyone is welcome at these free programs.

Teen program: All 5:30-7 p.m. South, Jan.17, Anime/Manga event; East, Jan. 30, Anime/Manga event; Headquarters, Jan. 31, Teen Scavenger Hunt. Are you a teen who loves Anime and Manga or Japanese culture? Come dressed as your favorite character and make Japanese inspired crafts at the South and East Branch. At the Headquarters, test your sleuthing skills for a Teen Scavenger Hunt. For more information call 704-216-8234.

Library closings: Jan. 16, all locations closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Displays: Headquarters — art by West Rowan High School; South, SRHS art class; East, rubber stamping by Glenda Trexler.

Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.