Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books About Presidents

Yesterday was Presidents' Day, a day were we celebrate U.S. current and past presidents. Being in a celebratory mood, I thought it would be interesting to find a Top Ten list for biographical books about past presidents. Here are 10 books that were listed in an article by The New York Times:

1.) Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
2.) John Adams by David McCullough
3.) American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph Ellis
4.) American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
5.) Lincoln by David Herbert Donald
6.) The Triumph of William Mckenley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters by Karl Rove
7.) A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House by Arthur M. Schlesiger Jr.
8.) Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro
9.) Nixon Agonists: The Crisis of the Self-Made Man by Garry Wills
10.) Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

So what are your Top Ten biographical books for current and past presidents that you want to read? And remember, if it isn't in the library's catalog then you can request it through InterLibrary Loan.

Happy Reading!!

Library Loves Copyright

This week the library celebrates Library Lovers Week. Come by the library, get a button, some candy, and write a note about why you love the library. While you're here, perhaps you can learn to love copyright as much as the library does.

Copyright law can be a tricky, especially in the educational context. However, the library loves copyright, because it protects the legal rights of authors, artists, and all creators of intellectual property.

Your library has a Copyright Taskforce. The taskforce works to answer any copyright questions you may have. The taskforce has recently created a presentation about copyright as it relates to showing videos in the classroom; in online classrooms; and in public. You can watch it here:

Contact the taskforce at mylibrary@tarleton.edu with any copyright questions you may have.

Streaming videos on Overdrive

You may be familiar with our Overdrive database.  It is a great resource for e-books to download onto your mobile device.  There is also a wide variety of audio books that you can stream or download.

But did you know that Overdrive also has a growing streaming video collection?

Here's how to access the videos (note: you must be a Tarleton student or a staff or faculty member to use Overdrive. If you are not a student, you may have access through your local library).

Note: the screenshots below were taken from a desktop computer.

HOW TO ACCESS STREAMING VIDEOS ON OVERDRIVE

1.  Go to the library's home page at www.tarleton.edu/library.

screenshot of library's homepage.

2.  Click on Databases A-Z.

     

3.  Under N-O, click on Overdrive.

Screenshot of Databases A-Z page.

4.  You will be asked to sign in  with your NTNET credentials.
You will then be taken to Overdrive's home page.

5. If you are on a desktop or laptop computer, click Collections on the top left of the screen and go to Videos.
                                           

Screenshot of Overdrive's main screen. Retrieved Feb 2, 2019.

If you are on a smartphone, click the three horizontal lines on the top right of the screen.  They will open a drop-down menu. Scroll down the menu section until you reach Videos.

6.  Under Videos, you can click on Available Now, New Video Additions, Most Popular or See All.

7.  Click on a video title to get information.

Screenshot of Overdrive videos. Retrieved Feb 2, 2019.

8.  You can click Borrow on an individual title.  A pop up window will confirm that you are borrowing the movie.  You then have 3 days to view it on your browser (laptop or desktop computer) or on your mobile device.  You can also click Sample to view a movie trailer.

Screenshot of information for Silver Linings Playbook. Retrieved Feb 2, 2019.

Currently there are 286 streaming videos available on Overdrive, with more being added all the time.