• Looking for tips on Java? LabView, or MATLAB?
• Want to learn new features about MS Office applications?
• Need to catch up on web development?

Do you know, as a JPLer, you have access to thousands of electronic books and videos on all aspects related to IT (information technology)?  JPL Library, Professional Development, and the Engineering and Science Directorate offer several resources, allowing all staff to pursue self-paced learning and development.  Here is a quick run-down of the major resources:

• JPL Library ebooks portal: This page leads to a search box and an A-Z list of books from IEEE, EngNetBase, ITNetBase, and Springer Computer Science book collections.  All materials from here can be downloaded then put on any mobile devices for later reading.
• Books 24×7: Through the NASA SATERN training system, search for Books 24×7, and you can access books and short videos on IT topics as well as business management skills.  Books 24×7 also serves as the Lab’s outlet for Microsoft training.  You need to have a NASA Launch Pad user id and password in order to use this resource.
• Training library from lynda.com: Jointly supported by the Engineering and Science Directorate and Professional Development, lynda.com provides videos on programming languages, productivity software, web development applications, and other topics. You need to set up a login and profile with lynda.com in order to watch the videos.  Follow the direction below or call 4HELP to set up your profile.

Contact the JPL Library (email library@jpl.nasa.gov or call 4-4200) if you are interested in a customized list of ebooks or videos.  For access and technical support for Books 24×7, please contact NASA SATERN sy Help at NASA-satern.support@nasa.gov; access questions related to lynda.com, please contact 4HELP.

———–Instruction on setting up lynda.com profile ——-

1. From your computer, while on Lab go to iplogin.lynda.com  (click on “Yes” if  a Security Screen pops up)
2. Click the “Create a Profile” link
3. Fill in the short form.  (Note:  your log-in ID must be your jpl e-mail address)
4. Once you register and create your profile, you will be able to access lynda.com from any computer, anywhere.
5. For technical issues concerning lynda.com, you may submit a web request https://jplit.jpl.nasa.gov/4help or contact JPL Service Desk at 4HELP.

PNAS is the abbreviation for  the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. It is one of the world’s most-cited multidisciplinary scientific journal. Since its establishment in 1914, it continues to publish cutting-edge research reports, reviews,  colloquium papers, and actions of the Academy. JPL Library provides electronic access from the very first volume to current.

However, more than the content of the print journal, the online web site has several additional features:

• Alerts and Early Edition for the latest articles
• Multimedia contents such as Podcasts and Video Library
• Topical collections such as astronomy, engineering, mathematics, and physics

For Facebook and Twitter users, you can also follow PNAS on the social media of your choice.

For more comments and questions about PNAS, please contact the JPL Library reference desk either via email library@jpl.nas.gov or call ext 4-4200.  You can also leave a comment here.

A French-American duo shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics for inventing methods to observe the bizarre properties of the quantum world, research that has led to the construction of extremely precise clocks and helped scientists take the first steps toward building superfast computers.  Serge Haroche of France and American David Wineland opened the door to new experiments in quantum physics by showing how to observe individual quantum particles while preserving their quantum properties.

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) and American Physics Society (APS) have compiled biographies and achievements of the two scientists, they have also made papers from their journals available:

• Biographical sketches plus papers published in American Institute of Physics journals.
• Papers from American Physics Society journals.

Contact the JPL Library Reference Desk (email: library@jpl.nasa.gov or ext. 4-4200) for more information about the scientists, their papers or any other topics.

The SPIE Digital Library is the world’s largest collection of optics & photonics applied research. JPL Library has recently added  its 160+ ebooks to our subscription, and SPIE has moved to a new platform in order to have more functionalities.  This is a great time to visit the new SPIE Digital Library.

Highlights of the New SPIE Digital Library:

• Electronic books: topics range from guide to binocular, fiber optics, to remote sensing.
• Proceeding papers: more than 350,000 papers from 1962 to present.
• Journals: all nine journals from the earliest issue to present.
• Topical collections: pre-defined subjects clusters cutting across proceeding papers, journal articles, and book chapters.
• Video links: selected recent proceeding papers include links to videos or other media that were a part of the conference presentation
• Mobile applications: with a one-time set-up, users can access SPIE contents via smartphones or tablets.

For more information about SPIE Digital Library, contact the Library Reference Desk at library@jpl.nasa.gov, or call the Reference Desk at ext 4-4200.

Click on the title to access the ebook.  Chapters can be downloaded and read on personal computer or mobile devices.  For more questions related to ebooks, please contact Library Reference Desk at library@jpl.nasa.gov, or call ext. 4-4200.

• CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, Third Edition
• Mechanical Properties of Engineered Materials
• Aerospace Materials
• Corrosion Science and Technology
• Handbook of Optical Materials
• CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics
• Ceramic Interconnect Technology Handbook
• Battery Technology Handbook

If you have been using Browser Remote Access System (RAS) to peruse JPL Library’s electronic journals, electronic books, or databases when you are away from the Lab, please be sure that you have the Two Factor Authentication (TFA) tokens  from OCIO before November 5.  You can begin to use it as soon as you have it, but you are required to use it from November 5, 2012 on.

For more information about the TFA tokens, please check OCIO TFA website.

Did you know that JPL employees have a single point of access to technical standards, tools, and best practices?  The NASA Technical Standards Program (NTSP), sponsored by the Office of the NASA Chief Engineer, provides one-stop access to a wide range of standards.  The Standards and Technical Assistance Resource Tool (START), provides access to over 130,000 technical documents, including endorsed standards, NASA developed standards, JPL Engineering Office Standards, and standards from other NASA sites.  Many standards are available for immediate downloading to your computer.  Others standards need to be ordered via the START tool.  There is no cost for the use of START, and access to this database is open to all JPL employees; however, registration is required via NASA’s Access Launchpad page.  Detailed information about JPL’s use of standards is available at JPL Engineering Standards Office.  This office can help you access the occasional standard not available through the NASA Standards site.

If you are looking for IEEE Standards, in addition to getting them via START, they are also available through the JPL Library’s subscription to IEEE Explore.

If you have questions or comments about getting standards, please contact the JPl Library Reference desk at library@jpl.nasa.gov or call our extension at 4-4200.

George Plosker, IEEE Client Services Manager, will be onsite at JPL on Wednesday August 22nd.

George will be on hand in the Hub at BEACON Information Commons (111-104) from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm for information and an  informal Q&A.  IEEE literature and other “goodies” will be available.  Please stop by and bring your IEEE questions.

11:30-12:00  Tech Talk: Insider Tips on what is new with IEEE Xplore, including the recent addition of eBooks and ways to improve your search results.

1:00-1:30 Tech Talk: Insider Tips (repeat of the 11:30 session)

Dr. Charles Elachi, the Lab Director, shared stories about the Lab and our missions to Mars at the TED/Serious Play in 2008. This video was recorded before the landing of Phoenix on Mars; Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) was still on the drawing board at the time. See how far we have come in our exploration of Mars from this fast-paced presentation.

A Mars globe and Mars atlases will be on display at the Hub after the showing.

CERN scientists reporting from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have claimed the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson. What is Higgs boson?  Here are a few books from JPL Library collection:

Electronic books:

Exploring Fundamental Particles, by Lincoln Wolfenstein and Joao Paolo Silva, CRC Press, 2011

The Physical Tourist : a Science Guide for the Traveler, edited by John Rigden and Roger H. Stuewer, Birkhauser, 2009.

Print books:

The Higgs Hunter Guide, by J.F. Gunion, Addison-Wesley, 1989.  Call number: QC793.5.B62 H635

The Particle Hunter, by  Yuval Neeman and Y. Kiesh, Cambridge University Press, 1996. Call number: QC778 .N3813

For more information, contact the Reference Desk at ext 4-4200 or email: library@jpl.nasa.gov