Category Archives: Information

Constitution Day

Constitution Day – September 17th

Information, Previous Announcements, Research
Constitution Day

Constitution Day

Database Spotlight

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

–Preamble to the United States Constitution

September 17 is designated as Constitution Day to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. The Federal Convention had first convened in May to revise the Articles of Confederation, but the need for an entirely new frame of government became clear. State delegates debated issues, such as federalism and representation, all through the summer as they drafted the articles of the new Constitution.

Constitution of the United States

Ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, for over two centuries the Constitution has remained in force because its framers wisely separated and balanced governmental powers to safeguard the interests of majority rule and minority rights, of liberty and equality, and of the federal and state governments. The Constitution has evolved through amendments to meet the changing needs of a nation now profoundly different from the eighteenth-century world in which its creators lived.

The United States enjoys a representative form of government, shaped by three separate branches as established in the Constitution:

  •  Article I states that “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.”
  •  Article II states that “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.”
  • Article III provides for a “judicial Power of the United States.”

The South Texas College Library has created a special Research Guide to celebrate and inform students about the Constitution. You can find the Constitution Day Guide in the “Special Guides” area of our Research Guides: https://libguides.southtexascollege.edu/welcome.

This guide was created by Sabrina De Anda.

Explore PRISMA

Databases, Information, Our Collections, Research
Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Do you need an article on past and present indigenous cultures (Hispanic, Latin American, and the Caribbean Basin)? Check out our PRISMA database for those research needs. PRISMA (Publicaciones y Revistas Sociales y Humanísticas) is a complete reference resource providing students and faculty full-text scholarly journals covering all aspects of Hispanic Studies. Students and faculty can use PRISMA when doing research on a variety of social science or humanities topics from current economic indicators to politics and society to Hispanic theatre. PRISMA offers content in three languages — Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

Some of the full-text journals located in PRISMA include América Latina Hoy, Boletín Americanista, Historia, Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies, and Revista Hispánica Moderna.

How can you use PRISMA?

  • 275 total publications (264 Scholarly Journals, 9 magazines, 2 trade journals)
  • Coverage dating from 1966 to the present
  • Subject Coverage: Anthropology, Business & Economics, History, Literature, Political Science and Sociology
  • New journals added regularly
  • Content is updated monthly
  • Search directly from database — not searchable through Discovery
  • An interface available in Spanish, Portuguese and English

Click or tap the image to visit the PRISMA Database.

You can access PRISMA from this blog post or from our Databases page.

Contributed by Librarian Lillian Carrillo

Woman Searching

Explore TOPICsearch

Databases, Information, Our Collections, Research

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Seeking ideas that can assist with developing your research for current events; social, political and economic issues; scientific discovers; and other popular topics frequently discussed? If so, TOPICsearch is a good resource. It also provides controversial opinions and viewpoints to support your research. Students can use either the dropdown menus for Current Events or Topics to easily locate relevant articles. This database contains full text for over 150,000 articles from 475 diverse sources, some of which are from South Texas College Library’s subscription to Flipster, an online database with digital magazines.

How can you use TOPICsearch?

  • Customization options that fit a wide range of user needs
  • Mobile interface with easy to follow video tutorials
  • Public opinion polls
  • International newspapers
  • Government information
  • Book reviews and biographies
TOPICsearch sample search

You can access TOPICsearch from this blog post or from our Databases page.

Contributed by Librarian Gabriel Aguilar.

Explore O’Reilly Safari

Databases, Information, Our Collections, Previous Announcements, Research

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Are you interested in technology, computer networks, programming languages, game and software development, business or data science? Through the O’Reilly Safari database, you have unlimited, free access to over 35k eBooks, 30k+ hours of video, curated learning paths, case studies, interactive tutorials, audio books, and O’Reilly conference videos. Ready to advance your career with a certification such as Comp TIA, Cisco CCNA, CISSP or cyber security? Need a textbook for your class? Need to study for a certification test? Resources within the O’Reilly collection may offer what you need. Use your STC network login / password AND Google Chrome to access the resource.

How can you use O’Reilly Safari?

  • Learning paths will provide feedback while preparing you for a certification
  • Access test preparation materials
  • Instant access to the latest eBooks on Photoshop, Computer Security and many more
  • View case studies
  • Interactive tutorials

You can access O’Reilly Safari from this blog post or from our Databases page.

Contributed by Library Specialist Michael Gutierrez.

Explore EBSCO’s Religion & Philosophy

Databases, Information, Our Collections, Previous Announcements, Research

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Have you visited EBSCO’s Religion & Philosophy collection? This database is a full-text database ideal for students in academic libraries when they need to research theology and philosophy. This database includes hundreds of full-text journals and magazines, covering both religious and philosophical topics including world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy and language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy.

How can you use Religion & Philosophy ?

  • 200+ full-text Journals and Magazines
  • 160+ Peer Reviewed Articles
  • Tailored toward theology and philosophical topics
  • Hundred of articles on world religions, religious history, political philosophy and philosophy of language
  • Full-text coverage dating back to 1911
Religion & Philosophy sample search

You can access Religion & Philosophy from this blog post or from our Databases page.

Contributed by Librarian Terri Rosalez.

Explore eLibrary

Databases, Information, Our Collections, Previous Announcements, Research

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Want to learn more about Grimm’s fairy tales or about Abraham Lincoln’s campaign for president? If so, then eLibrary is the place to visit. eLibrary is an immense collection of periodicals and digital media with authoritative information. It is designed and tailored for all types of researchers from the novice student researcher to the professional. The pages provide valuable contents for both common and unusual topics of research. All content is 100% full text, including documents from books, magazines, journals, newspapers, photographs, transcripts and videos.

How can you use eLibrary?

  • Offers a custom Guided Research application
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Editor created research topics
  • Cross-search other ProQuest resources
  • Easily export citations
  • Accessible on any device at any time

You can access eLibrary from this blog post or from our Databases page.

Contributed by Librarian Patricia Sotelo .

Explore EBSCO’s Military & Government Collections

Databases, Information, Our Collections, Previous Announcements, Research

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Have you searched through the Military & Government Collections database? This database covers a wide range of topics pertaining to all branches of the U.S. military and government. It is designed to offer current news to military members, analysts, policy makers, students and researchers with cover-to-cover text for nearly 300 journals and periodicals (and abstracts) for an additional 400 titles.

What can you find on Military & Government Collections?

  • Periodicals and academic journals dating back to 1901
  • Wide spectrum of subjects covered: including military law and economics.
  • Cover-to-cover full texts, many highly searchable PDFs or scanned in color.
  • Easy citation tools.
  • Material from Army, Air Force, and Navy Times.

You can access the Military & Government Collections from this blog post or from our Databases page.
Contributed by Library Specialist William Heinrich.

Explore Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

Databases, Information, Library Announcements, Our Collections, Previous Announcements, Research

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) is an internet-based digital library of education research and information. ERIC provides access to 1.5 million bibliographic records (citations, abstracts, and other pertinent data) of journal articles and other education-related materials, with hundreds of new records added every week. A portion of the items is a collection of publication types which includes reports (annual, research, technical, etc.), working papers, and evaluations focused on the subject of education. Approximately one quarter of the complete ERIC Collection is available in full text. Materials with no full text available (primarily journal articles) can often be accessed using links to publisher websites and/or library holdings.

How can you use ERIC?

The ERIC collection includes bibliographic records (citations, abstracts, and other pertinent data) and/or full-text articles for 1.5 million items:

  • journal articles;
  • books;
  • research syntheses;
  • conference papers;
  • technical reports
  • policy papers; and
  • other education-related materials

You can access ERIC from this blog post or from our Databases page.
Contributed by Librarian Sabrina De Anda.

Database Spotlight

Explore EBSCO’s LearningExpress Library

Databases, Information, Previous Announcements, Research

Database Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Need to prepare for an occupational board exam, including NCLEX or TExES? Check out the practice exams in the LearningExpress Library database. New Users must create an account for the site in order to save their work, store score reports, and revisit any practice tests, tutorials, or eBooks. Registration only requires a valid email address and a password. This resource offers many other practice tests — explore!

How can you use LearningExpress?

  • Easy to follow video tutorials
  • Practice tests are based on real exams
  • Responsive design for use on desktop computers and mobile devices
  • Take practice exams either at your own pace or timed
  • Unlimited downloads for eBook content
  • Exams are accessible to all users, regardless of disability status.
LearningExpress Homepage

You can access LearningExpress from this blog post or from our Databases page.
Contributed by Librarian, Maureen Mitchell.

Database Spotlight – Films on Demand

Databases, Information, Our Collections, Previous Announcements

Have you checked out Films on Demand  yet? At Films On Demand, content matters. Their video library has been assembled not just with a focus on volume, but also with a discerning eye for quality and relevance. It is the result of decades of careful curating with a single guiding principle: providing every academic department on campus with the most essential video titles for their field of study. We have access to a huge collection of films and documentaries, ranging from publishers like HBO, Arte France, CNBC, PBS, and The History Channel. You can browse the collection by subject, recently added, video type (i.e. Documentary, feature film, animation, newsreel), original language, and features of the month.

How can you use Films on Demand?

  • Find inspiration and material for research papers and presentations
  • Captioning and interactive, searchable transcripts on all titles
  • Keyword tags for all content, linking to related material
  • Follow up on a clip used by a professor in class and watch the rest of the video
  • Get citations for all videos in MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and APA formats, with up-to-date citation creation and export
  • View videos anywhere, 24/7

You can access Films on Demand* from his blog post or from our Databases page.

* Please note: to access databases off campus, you will need to enter your STC username and password.

Contributed by Library Specialist William Heinrich.