MCOB Library Thanksgiving Break Hours

Greetings,

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I hope each of you have great plans to spend this time with family and friends and perhaps watch a few football games!

The MCOB Library will be closed Wednesday, November 21st through Sunday, November November 25th and will RE-OPEN Monday, November 26th at 7:30 a.m.  Please plan your assignments that require the library resources accordingly.

The USA Main Library will be opened on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving just a month away?

It is hard to believe but Thanksgiving is fast approaching us (just five weeks away) with course assignments and deadlines looming!  Please note the MCOB Library will be opened Sundays from 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  Please note the Group Study Rooms and the computer lab closes 15 minutes prior to the Library closing times so please plan accordingly.

The MCOB Library will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday from November 21st through November 25th and will re-open November 26th at 7:30 a.m.

If you need any assistance in finishing an assignment, we are here to assist you.  You can either call the Front Desk (414-8067), send us an email (buscirc@usouthal.edu) or check our MCOB Library Home Page to see if the Online Chat is available to send us a quick question.  Do allow us time to respond to the online chat request as we could either be away from our desk or assisting another student.

MCOB Library Fall Break Hours of Operation

Please note that during fall break, the MCOB Library will be closed Sunday, October 7th - Tuesday, October 9th.  We will re-open at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 8th.

I know many assignment deadlines are looming in your future so please plan accordingly. 

Business and Company Resource Center Database Update

Business and Company Resource Center database is being replaced by Business Insights:  Essentials as announced by Gale (part of Cengage Learning).  This latest resource will offer resources for research in business, companies and industries.  The new platform and features will be more intuitive and user-friendly so do give it a try! 


http://bi.galegroup.com/essentials/?u=naal_usam

Welcome Fall Semester 2012

Greetings and welcome back to the Fall Semester at the Mitchell College of Business and Library!  We are so glad to see our students back new and old and hope you will enjoy the time you spend in the Library.  Do remember there is no food or drink allowed in the Library, Group Study Rooms and Computer Labs but we do have trays at the front desk for you to leave your drinks when you come in - and feel free to come drink your drinks at the front desk!

Our hours are 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  We are always closed on Saturdays but beginning September 9th, we will be open from 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

If you need assistance on any resources in the Library or a class project, I and my staff stand ready to help you - just ask!  Either come to the MCOB Front Desk, call us at 414-8067, send an email request to buscirc@usouthal.edu or reach us on our website with our chat but do give us time to respond as we may be away from our desks for chat time.

Welcome again!

MCOB Summer 2012 Book Reviews Published

Our latest edition of the Mitchell College of Business Library Book Reviews for Summer 2012 has been published.  This booklet contains all our new holdings since the spring semester and associated reviews.

We have copies of this book review at the Front Desk or you can find on our website by following this link:

http://libguides.southalabama.edu/content.php?pid=203679&sid=2313074

Enjoy reading!

Summer Semester 2012 Final Exam Hours

The Mitchell College of Business Library will have extended hours during the Summer Semester 2012 Final Exam week.  Monday (July 23rd) - Thursday (July 26th), we will be open from 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. and on Friday, July 27th, the Library will remain opened until 6 p.m.

Beginning July 28th - August 19th, the Library will be closed during Interim and will re-open at 7:30 a.m. on August 20th.

Good Luck on the exams!

Researching Company Information Booklet

If you need a guide to researching company information from a variety of sources, we have created a booklet to assist you.  You can get a hard copy at the Mitchell College of Business Library's front desk or use the online version from our website.  Here is the link:

http://libguides.southalabama.edu/aecontent.php?pid=203679&sid=1701626

Do note the Library will be closed for our July 4th celebration.

NASDAQ to Compensate Face Book Investors

NASDAQ has announced that due to a 30 minute technical glitch on the day Face Book went public, they estimate they will need to compensate investors who missed the opportunity to buy $100M in compensation. An interesting read with more details from the Wall Street Journal today:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/05/facebook-nasdaq-wsj-idUSL1E8H5GJA20120605

Calling all accounting majors!

We have added a new tax accounting database from CCH titled "Intelliconnect".  You will find the database in the listing of our business databases.  I believe you will enjoy the ease of use in search interface as well as the depth of content as you study tax accounting.  And don't forget we also have ARM (Accounting Research Manager) which is an excellent resource for researching accounting topics from one database as well as RIA Checkpoint.  If you need assistant with any of our accounting databases, please stop by the front desk.

Welcome Back - Summer Semester 2012

Welcome back to the Summer Semester!  I hope each of you had a nice break between semesters and a great Memorial weekend with friends and family.  Now, back to school and hitting the books has arrived today.  The MCOB Library Summer hours are:

Monday - Thursday:  7:30 a.m.  - 9:00 p.m.
Friday:  7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sunday:  2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays:  Closed but the Main Library is open 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Visit our website to learn more about the resources and assistance we have available to help you with your course work this summer (http://www.southalabama.edu/univlib/mcob/).

Where Did Spring Semester Go?

I am not sure where this semester went but it is all but gone!  We are now heading into our final exam week as our last classes were held Friday.  The library will stay open later to help your studying efforts during this time.  However, do remember that the library closes after final exams are over and interim session begins.  Here are our hours the week of May 6th-10th:

Sunday:  2 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Monday: Wednesday:  7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Friday:  Library closes through May 28th
May 29th:  summer semester begins and library re-opens

Good Luck on exams and congratulations to our graduating seniors!

Downloading eBooks

As our Library adds more eBooks to our collection, you may be asking specific questions on how to download to certain devices.  As you would suspect, it will depend on the eBook Collection and the device.  However,  Kathy Wheeler, one of our Senior Librarians, has created a LibGuide with a variety of examples:

http://libguides.southalabama.edu/content.php?pid=229516&sid=1898299

As you search our catalog, SouthCat, eBook versions will be shown or you can search directly into the eBook Collection with this link:

http://library.southalabama.edu/ebooks.html

Titanic Centennial

Are you as interested in the Titanic as I am?  There is so much news now around the sinking of the Titanic as we near the 100th anniversary of the sinking.  Perhaps not a business topic but certainly one about leadership and teaming.  How would you have responded under such circumstances?  What if you were the Captain of the Mystery Ship that did not stay and offer help to those passengers who were in the water or without life boats?

A librarian (of course!) by the name of Dennis Miles from Southeastern Oklahoma State University has created a very indepth course guide on various topics regarding the Titanic - do take the time to review:

http://libguides.se.edu/content.php?pid=279678&sid=2303616

Fortune Magazine, Barrons and More!

Our latest magazines and serials have arrived this week and there are so many interesting articles to read.  While I know everyone is heads-down on finishing this semester, I recommend taking a break and scan some of the latest business news.  Fortune (April 9th issue) focuses on the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time and what we can learn from them - do you know who they are?  Of course, we all think of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg but some others are just as interesting such as Sam Walton and Herb Kelleher.

Barrons (March 26th) highlights the "World's Best CEOs" with twelve of new entrants to this year's list.

Business Alabama (April) provides an overview of Alabama's highest paid women executives. Some of the company names may be new to you but worth checking out Alabama companies if your business career goal is to remain in Alabama.  Also, these female executives provide insight to their success as well as their vision that got them to the top spots.

We are now taking Gulf Coast Business published by the Mobile Press Register.  Local business news as well as topics such as social media, local real estate market and spotlight on local businesses makes this a must-read about our area.

Finally, Bloomberg Business Week (April 2nd) has a cover story on Steve Jobs and his views on Google Android but don't overlook an interview with the CEO of Yum Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, etc) and his views on expanding globally.  Mr. Novak has also published a book I just purchased for our library on leadership titled "Taking People with You".

Come review our stacks as our book collection is growing weekly and our magazine/newspaper rack always up to date!

Harvard Business Review - Steve Jobs Leadership Lessons

One of the more popular books in the library has been the recent book by Walter Isaacson on Steve Jobs.  However, as we move toward the end of the spring semester assignments and the dreaded final exams most of you may not feel you have time to read the book.

If so, take a break from your studies and come review the latest Harvard Business Review in the library as Mr. Isaacson recaps the fourteen leadership lessons we can all learn from Steve Jobs.  We all have heard the 'stay hungry, stay foolish' but one that caught my attention was 'when behind, leapfrog' and how he transformed the music industry with an integrated system of iTunes and the iPod when he felt he had missed the music downloading phenomena.  He didn't rest on his laurels once he launched this integrated solution, however, as he realized that soon the mobile phone manufacturers would start adding music players to their handsets.  So, he cannibalized the iPod sales and created the iPhone.

His lesson to us is 'if you don't cannibalized yourselves, someone else will'.  Indeed, Mr. Jobs.

The World Bank and IMF - Global Economy Research Resources

The World Bank (IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offer excellent research resources on the global economy for everyone but particularly our students since we subscribe to the publications offered by the World Bank. The World Bank and the IMF are twin intergovernmental pillars supporting the structure of the world's economic and financial order.

The main difference between these two organizations is The World Bank is primarily a development institution while the IMF is a cooperative institution that seeks to maintain an orderly system of payments and receipts between nations.

Once you sign on the USA Libraries website, select the "Journals List" and key in World Bank and all the various resources will be shown via our subscriptions.

Also, this external link will guide you to the recommended reading list from the IMF:

http://www.elibrary.imf.org/page/list/recommended-reading-list

If you are required to do any research on the global economy, these links should be among those you utilize first:

http://www.worldbank.org/
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm

Financial Spreadsheets, Data and Research

For those students in finance, you might find many useful resources on this website:

http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/

The site includes data, formatted spreadsheets as well as research.  The site is maintained by Dr. Aswath Damodaran who is a professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University.  His research interests are in valuation, portfolio management and applied corporate finance. 

Hewlett Packard - Barron's Article

For those of you taking MGT 300 and have selected HP for your company analysis, the latest issue of Barron's has an article on the challenges CEO Meg Whitman and the five moves she needs to make now.  We have Barron's in the library and encourage to read while in the library.

In the course guide I developed for this course, I encourage you to review the magazine and newspaper rack in the library -- this article validates that advice.

Also, remember any of my staff can assist you with your project for this class.

Ash Wednesday - can Spring Break be far behind?

It appears the City of Mobile had one of the best Mardi Gras seasons ever and I know many of you enjoyed the celebration but now time to hit the books and assignments again.  But isn't Spring Break just around the corner and those beautiful beaches of ours calling your name?  I bet so!

I want to announce our upcoming hours in March so you can plan for your fun as well as assignments.  Our library will be closed for Spring Break from March 11th - 16th but will reopen on March 18th from 2 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.  While we are not open on Saturdays, please note that the USA Main Library will also be closed on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th.

I know many of you will still be soaking up the rays on the 18th or recovering from St. Patrick's Day but with looming assignments and exams due the week after Spring Break, we will be here!

Business Source Complete now available!

Our library recently upgraded from Business Source Premier to Business Source Complete adding many more resources from additional peer reviewed journals to market research to Industry Reports.  If you need assistance in learning to navigate the newly upgraded database or looking for specific information on the additional content, do come see us at the front desk.

MGT 300 - Spring Semester 2012

Welcome to the Spring Semester 2012 MGT 300 classes!  I have created a course guide that will take each of you through library resources to complete your company analysis.  Here is the link:

http://libguides.southalabama.edu/mgt300

My staff is trained on this class assignment (and several have already taken it) so they stand ready to help you as well as me.

Spring Semester 2012 Has Arrived!

Where did the holidays go?  It just seems like we were in the midst of the Christmas holidays but yet tomorrow our classes will begin for the spring.

Our hours for the spring semester are:  Monday - Thursday from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Please note we are extending our Sunday hours in response to survey requests so we are going to try it out.  On Sundays, we will open at 2:00 p.m. and remain open until 10:00 p.m. 

See you early in the morning!