Links

OCC Library Link
Direct access to all of the electronic databases our library subscribes to. Your first (and probably only) place for online research

Click on the icon and follow instructions to download a free PDF viewer.

A grab bag here of mainly literary sites -- with a few others thrown in for fun.

Understanding Literature

You can find many suggestions for understanding literature in the "Course Packet," located online on the "Course Materials" page.

Understanding Themes.
The Literary Link for Writing and Submitting Essays. Janice Patten, San Jose State University. An excellent source for students who want to explore common themes in literature.

Oxford Tutorials
A short list of information on selected ancient texts. Some of the images are already included on our own "Images" page. Also contains some tips on writing.

Sources and Plagiarism
Back to top
Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University.
An instructional handout.

Paraphrasing Exercise. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University.

Plagiarism
Purdue's done it (again)

Grammar, etc.
Back to top

General Grammar Guide
From Purdue University

Dictionaries, etc.
Back to top
WWWebster Dictionary.
Merriam-Webster’s 10th edition dictionary online.

Roget’s Thesaurus
The venerable classic, now in html

Links to Online Dictionaries
400 Dictionaries in over 130 languages

Internet/Computers
Back to top
A Student's Guide to Research with the WWW
How to evaluate web sources

Using Search Engines.
An excellent summary of different kinds of Web search options, complete with links to different search engines.

Computer Tips
No, you won't get money, but you may get advice

Google
Never judge a site by its name: one of the best search engines. Use for general (non-database [as in non-approved]) searches.

Fun
Back to top
This American Life
From an article in The Nation on the show "It takes as its beat, well, life. For instance, it did a show recently on The Kindness of Strangers: Four segments, each about fifteen minutes long, each set in New York. One was about a locksmith rescuing a stranded motorist; one about a white teenager who ran away from home to move in with a black actor/father figure in fifties Harlem; one about a crazy lady who tormented the people in the apartment next door, posting notices accusing them of being drug dealers; and one about a guy who entertained his block once a week with Sinatra songs. "There is something about the judgment of strangers -- when the clerk at the record store seems unimpressed by your choice of CDs," said host Ira Glass as the show began. "It's as if by their status as strangers they have some special instantaneous insight into who we are." Which is true: It gets you thinking. But that was about it for the summing up, the philosophizing."

Politics
Back to top
Search and write to your US Representative

Search and write to your US Senator

Democracy Network
Voter information – often on candidates that don’t make the mainstream news media