On Saturday, October 30th, Barnes & Noble, at 43 East Chicago Avenue in Naperville, is hosting a bookfair, during which a percentage of the sales will be donated to the Tyson Resource Center at Oesterle Library. At 10:30 a.m. there will be a story time in the Children’s Department followed by face painting at 11:00 a.m. You can also participate online at bn.com/bookfairs between 10/30/10 and 11/03/10. Visit Support the Tyson Center to print out a voucher for the event or to obtain the code for the online bookfair.

Photographs by Tom Gill showing modern scenes along the historic Illinois & Michigan Canal will be displayed Oct. 17 through Nov. 18 at North Central College’s Oesterle Library Gallery. The photographer will greet visitors at an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19. The exhibit chronicles the heritage of landmarks along the waterway that opened up travel between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River when it was completed in 1848.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information about Tom Gill and the exhibit visit http://northcentralcollege.edu/x52826.xml.

Researching a topic in the news? Whether it’s discipline in today’s schools, biofuels, the US immigration debate, or the cure for Alzheimer’s disease, the library’s CQ Researcher is a great place to start.

CQ Researcher is a database of in-depth reports written by experienced journalists on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each report is more than 30 pages and gives you an overview of the issue, background information, and a thorough analysis of the situation. There is a chronology to help you figure out the sequence of important events and even a pro/con section where experts present different sides of an issue.

If you are doing a more thorough project, there is a feature called “Issue Tracker” which shows a list of all the reports related to your topic back to 1923. This lets you go back and see how an issue has developed and changed over time.

Each report ends with a very detailed bibliography of sources you can go to for more information – books, articles and studies – some you can link to directly.  You can access CQ Researcher from the alphabetical list of databases on the library web site.

Here are some quick tips on how Oesterle Library can help you weather Midterms.

1. First, just a couple ways the library web site can help with last-minute research:
   • Our “Books” page connects you not only to the online catalog, but also to NetLibrary, our subscription to thousands of e-books, and to several collections of online subject encyclopedias such as the Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics or Encyclopedia of World Poverty.
   • To find articles, start at the “Research by Subject” page. Click on your broad subject area and then try out the databases listed to find articles on your research topic.
2. Next, here are some ways to contact us for help when you are not in the library:
   • Live chat with a librarian during the hours the library is open. (link on the library web site)
   • Text your question to (630) 446-0637.
   • Email us your question (link on the library web site) or give us a call at (630) 637-5715.
3. And lastly, come in to study or ask for help in person! In person is often the most efficient way to get the research help you need. So come see us at the Information Services Desk during the hours the library is open.