Study Break

As students (and faculty) move further into the thick of semester finals, the need for study breaks is greater than ever. You have worked extra hard this entire semester, especially these last few weeks. Take some time to relax, recharge, and to celebrate a job well done with a well-deserved study break!

Be sure to visit the Rice Library information wall, located just around the corner from the Checkout desk. Here you will find an assortment of reader’s guides and DVD lists to help you find that perfect “brain needs rest” escape.

The reader’s guide lists include:

• Adventure and Humor Fiction

• History and Biography Fiction

• Mystery and Suspense Fiction

• Science Fiction and Horror Fiction

• Autobiographies and Memoirs

• Recommended Titles from Rice Library Staff

• Diversity Fiction

• Religious and Cross-Cultural

• Audio Books

If it is a DVD you desire, check out our guides for:

• Weekend Entertainment

• AFI Top 100 Movies

• Movies “Based on the Book”

• Movies and music CD’s already set out for the quick “grab and go.”

Once you find a title to your liking, find all of the audio books, DVD’s, CD’s, and paperbacks on the first floor of Rice Library. Most fiction books will be located on the fourth floor; the reader’s guides will provide the call number for each item.

The Rice Library Information Wall also includes all of the following; Please feel free to help yourself:

• library/campus maps and information

• research guides and how-to’s

• citation “cheat sheets” for APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian

• career guides and resource lists.

The Rice Library Reference Team would like to wish all of our students our sincerest best wishes as you wrap up the fall semester, and a very Happy Holiday to all Rice Library patrons!

BR


24/7 Assistance With Lexis-Nexis Database

Welcome news for faculty users: LexisNexis has extended its 24 X 7 telephone support service to faculty. The service has been available to librarians for many years. Far more than a tech support center, the LexisNexis Customer Support team includes subject area specialists who can answer questions about content and help with search strategies. To use the service, you simply need to identify yourself as a faculty member from the University of Southern Indiana.

We hope that you will take advantage of this service and encourage your colleagues to use it for advanced content or search strategy questions.

The Customer Support number is 1-800-897-3419 and it operates around the clock.

Local History On Demand

Did you know you can listen and watch interviews with Eleanor Roosevelt?

Or watch Robert F. Kennedy give a speech in Muncie, Indiana?

Looking for artifacts or letters from important figures in American history such as Abraham Lincoln, Eugene Debs, Gus Grissom, or Amelia Earhart?

How about historical research? Are you interested in reading letters, land grants, or telegraphs logs from the Civil War?

You might say, “Well, of course, the world wide web has infinite materials.” But did you know all these things can be found in local libraries, archives and historical societies across the state?

There are more wonderful collections being made available today in ways that were not possible until now. Even just a few short years ago the most researchers, or enthusiasts, could hope was a finding aid or catalog record online. Thanks to technological advances in image software programs not only are these tools available but in many cases images of the primary sources can be uploaded. These are formatted to give an experience similar to seeing the actual item or reading the text in person.

So warm up the finger tips, grab your favorite beverage, drinks are allowed on this library trip, and take a little virtual tour that will give a glimpse of some of the larger, or more unique collections available around the corner and throughout the state.

Local History On Demand

Don't Let DOIs Leave You DOA

With the publication of the sixth edition of the American Psychological Association's Publication Manual, authors are required, if possible, to include a DOI with each journal article citation in their lists of references.  This chanage has prompted a series of questions with many Rice Library users:
1.  What's a DOI?  DOI stands for digital object identifier and is a permanent, unique alpha-numeric string assigned by the publisher and used to locate a document online.
2.  Where can DOIs be found?  Users may sometimes find DOIs included in the information given in a database's citation/abstract for the article.  At other times DOIs may be located either at the top or bottom on the first page of a journal article (print or online).  Sometimes the DOI is preceded by the letters DOI; at other times it is not.
3.  How are journal articles cited if there is no DOI?  According to the Publication Manual, if no DOI can be found, the author should cite the journal's web page, preceded by the phrase "Retrieved from".

A journal article that includes a DOI might look like this (with double-spacing and hanging indention, of course):

Borman, W. C. (2005).  Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance.  Journal of Applied Pschology, 78, 443-449.  doi:  10.1037/0021-9010.78.3.443

Whereas, one without a DOI might look like this (also with double-spacing and hanging indention):

Hamilton, C.  (1992).  A way of seeing:  Culture as political expression in the works of C.L.R. James.  Journal of Black Studies, 22, 429-443.  Retrieved from http://jbs.sagepub.com/

Students wanting to investigate the use of DOIs more thoroughly may find this tutorial available on the Database Tutorials / PsycINFO LibGuide helpful:  DOIs and How To Find Them in a Record.

For additional help in citing sources according to the APA Publication Manual, see the How To Cite Your Sources LibGuide.

PO

My Word is Not Your Word, Without My Permission!

Or is it? That may depend on who you are at USI: student or faculty? In My Word! Plagiarism and College Culture [Cornell, 2009], Notre Dame Professor of Anthropology Susan D. Blum explores the differences in knowledge and attitudes about plagiarism among faculty and students. Classroom instructors are reminded almost daily that many students operate under an entirely new set of assumptions about originality and ethics. Practices which ten years ago would have been regarded as academically dishonest are now commonplace.

Using extensive interviews conducted with students, My Word! presents the voices of today’s young adults speaking about their daily activities, challenges, and the meanings of their college lives. Outcomes-based secondary education, rising tuition costs, and an economic and social climate in which higher education is valued for its effect on future earnings- these factors each help explain why students might pursue good grades by any means necessary. And accustomed to referencing popular culture in peer conversation (or on Facebook) without credit because it is assumed to be understood, they may struggle with why this practice is unacceptable for academic work.

Blum suggests the real problem of academic dishonesty arises primarily from a lack of communication between two distinct university cultures. Professors and administrators regard plagiarism as a serious academic and ethical transgression, even a sin against an ethos of individualism and originality. On the other hand, students revel in sharing, in multiplicity, in accomplishment at any cost. This book is less likely to reassure readers who hope all they need to do is give strongly worded warnings against plagiarism on the first day of class. But it could open dialogue among faculty, and between teachers and their students, that may lead to mutual comprehension and alignment between student practices and professorial expectations.

Find My Word! Plagiarism and College Culture shelved at PN176.B48 2009 (4th floor.)

JRA

IMAGEine That!

Need to improve your image (that is, the one required for your presentation)?  Take a look at just some of the resources available to you through Rice Library.

We would recommend beginning by locating the "Research 101" LibGuide, and selecting the "Finding Images" tab.  Here you will find lists of free image resources, search engines and collections available on the open web.  Sources found here include: flickr, PicFindr, New York Public Library Digital Collection, Smithsonian Photographs Online, and American Memory (Library of Congress).  Additional image sources are available on the "Finding Images" tab through the "Journalism" LibGuide. 

Many Rice Library databases also have images available, including:

• CREDO Reference, which has an Image Search tab and also allows users to limit their retrievals to just those with images regardless of how they search.
• ARTStor; an entire digital image library; in this collection you will find paint, sculpture, photography, and architecture images, among others.
• Biography in Context advanced search, which allows users to limit by images

• Academic Search Premier, as well as all EBSCOHost databases, which have an Image tab across the top of the search page.                                                                        

• The INSPIRE, Indiana's Virtual Library database, which allows users to search Image Collections through their Advanced Search page

     

Finally, please be sure to visit the Rice Library University Archives and Special Collections web site.  In the Rice Library Image Collections you will find many fabulous image collections for communal studies, regional history, other special collections, plus additional links to image collections from several local, state, and national institutions.

Each resource has its own unique usage rights, so it is important to check carefully for permissions and to always cite your source of images, whether the image is free or not.

Let your IMAGEination run wild with the resources available to you through Rice Library!
BNR

Answers to the "Random Quiz"

Here are the answers to our "Random Quiz" from last week.  Hope you enjoyed playing and trying out the Credo Reference "Gadgets" link!

1. Having little or no adverse or harmful effect; harmless

"innocuous." Collins English Dictionary. London: Collins, 2000. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

2. Theodor Seuss Geisel

"Dr. Seuss, (Theodor Seuss Geisel)." Marquis Who Was Who in America 1985-present. New Providence: Marquis Who's Who LLC, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

3.

"The Pyramids of Giza, c.2589-30 BC, Old Kingdom." The Bridgeman Art Library Archive. London: Bridgeman, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

4. Pŏn’chər-trān’

"Pontchartrain." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

5. Iditarod

"Iditarod." The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

6. 8

"furlong." Chambers 21st Century Dictionary. London: Chambers Harrap, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

7. Harry S. Truman

"Truman, Harry S. (1884 - 1972)." Bloomsbury Biographical Dictionary of Quotations. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd, 1997. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

 8. "Halloween." Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary

"Halloween." Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. Detroit: Omnigraphics, Inc., 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 13 October 2010.

BNR

Inspect Your Gadgets

Rice Library invites you to take a random quiz…

1. What is the definition of the word innocuous?
2. What is Dr. Seuss’s real name?
3. What do the Pyramids of Giza look like?
4. I am taking a trip to New Orleans. How exactly do you pronounce Pontchartrain?
5. This week’s crossword puzzle has the clue “Great sled dog race.” I have the following letters… I?i??ro? (What is the name of this race that’s right on the tip of my tongue?)
6. Who famed the quote, "The buck stops here?"
7. What is the history behind Halloween
8. How many furlongs are in a mile?
9. Where can you go to find answers to each of these random quiz questions?

Answer to Question 9: Credo Reference “Gadgets” link.

This is just one more reason to love Credo Reference. This online reference source is an aggregate for hundreds of electronic books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, image searches, audio files, and much more. To find quick and easy answers to random questions like those above, Credo Reference’s “Gadgets” link is your perfect ready-reference information source.

To find Credo Reference and the “Gadgets” link:

→Go the Rice Library Catalog page

  →Click on the Databases link

    →Click on the A-Z List link and select Credo Reference

      →The “Gadgets” link is sixth across the top of the page

The “gadgets” in this link include:
1. Definitions window
2. Person search
3. Images search
4. Pronunciation help
5. Crossword Solver
6. Quotation search
7. Holidays and Festivals finder
8. Conversion tool

Here you will find everything a growing trivia buff needs to:
• ace a test
• finish that crossword puzzle
• impress all with clear pronunciations, broad vocabulary, and quoting ability
• wow colleagues with stunning visual aids to punctuate your presentation

Please leave your answers to our random quiz by replying to this blog. We will post the answers to questions 1-8 on Thursday, October 14th. Thanks for playing!

For even more trivia fun, courtesy of Credo Reference, sign up for the Weekly Brainteaser at the following link: http://corp.credoreference.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=49&Itemid=160

bnr

A Search Engine That Specializes in Science

A few weeks ago (7/13) the “LTL” Blog presented information on BioMedSearch.com, a free biomedical search site. Another free search engine that Rice Library users may be interested in trying is Scirus, which is devoted to scientific information, including health, life, physical, and social sciences. According to information on the site, “Scirus is the most comprehensive scientific research tool on the web. With over 410 million scientific items indexed at last count, it allows researchers to search for not only journal content but also scientists’ homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional repository and website information.”

The site allows users to set a limited number of search preferences and features both a basic and advanced search interface.

As with BioMedSearch.com, Scirus does not automatically link to Rice Library’s ILLiad (interlibrary loan) service. Therefore, users will need to check the library’s catalog and Journal Finder to determine availability of items retrieved via Scirus. If needed items are not available in Rice Library’s collections, users may request them by copying and pasting the bibliographical information into the appropriate ILLiad forms in order to submit an interlibrary loan request.

For help with this or other library resources and services, contact the Rice Library Reference Desk: (812) 464-1907, (800)246-6173, libref@usi.edu, or in person on the 1st floor.

How Do I...?

Have you ever found yourself in Rice Library or on the library's web page wondering "How do I...?" or "Where are...?" one thing or another?   A newly-revised link on our web site may be just what you need.  From the menu across the top of the Rice Library web page, select "How Do I...?" This takes you to a page with the most frequently-asked "How Do I...?" and "Where are...?" questions.  Click on any of the five main headings to populate a dropdown list of questions below. 

Once you find your particular question, click on it to be taken to the page with your answer.  Here you will find answers to a variety of common questions, including:

• how to check out a book
• where to find images
• how to renew your materials and manage your Rice Library account
• how to access databases from off-campus
• where other computer labs are around campus
• plus much more. 

We encourage all Rice Library patrons to view this site as it may just have the answer(s) to your question(s).  Of course, the Reference Team is always more than willing to help you as well - in person, via email, or over the telephone...

• Reference Desk hours:
• M-Th.: 9am-9pm;
• Fri.: 9am-5pm
• Sat.:11am-4pm
• Sun.: 1pm-8pm.
• Reference Desk telephone: (812) 464-1907
• Reference Desk email: libref@usi.edu - or click here to access our online Request Reference Assistance form (also available on the Rice Library home page). 

We want to leave "no question" as to our desire to help with all of your inquiries. / bnr

Rice Library -- Come Early, Stay Late

With the beginning of the Fall 2010 Semester, Rice Library has changed its hours to accommodate the early birds. The library now opens Monday-Friday at 7:00 a.m. It continues to be open until midnight Sunday-Thursday to accommodate the night owls, as well. A complete listing of the library’s hours for all of its public service units can be found on its web page under the "Quick Links" left hand sidebar menu. Or you may click here.

Attention Researchers: New Databases for Criminal Justice and Geology

Just in time for the new Criminal Justice Studies program, we’ve subscribed to two new research tools, Criminal Justice Abstracts, and Criminal Justice Periodicals. Searched on the Ebsco platform, Criminal Justice Abstracts contains comprehensive coverage of international journals, books, reports, dissertations and unpublished papers on criminology and related disciplines. Prepared in co-operation with the Don M. Gottfredson of the Library of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University Law Library, the Abstracts cover crime trends, crime prevention and deterrence, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, police, courts, punishment and sentencing. The database contains indexes and summaries of international journal articles, books, and governmental and non-governmental reports on a wide range of topics in criminal justice. Coverage is historical and current, with links to full text when available through our other databases. As always, if the text is not available, you may request articles through Interlibrary Loan; book titles may be searched in our catalog or requested through ILL.

On the ProQuest platform, Criminal Justice Periodicals is a comprehensive database of U.S. and international criminal justice journals. The database provides research support for faculty and students interested in careers in criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections administration, drug enforcement, rehabilitation, family law, and industrial security. The database includes abstract and indexing for 250 titles, with more than 100 available in full-text. Sample titles include Journal of Forensic Identification; Crime, Law, and Social Change; Law Enforcement Technology; and New Criminal Law Review.

For faculty and students in geology and earth science studies, the new GeoScienceWorld (GSW) includes peer-reviewed articles and other materials with linked reference lists from more than 30 high-impact journals in a broad range of geoscience areas. The digital collection is updated continuously with the most current journal issues. All journals have a minimum of one back year, and most in the database start with the year 2000. A primary strength of GSW is the ability to search full text in a linked collection, but it is also integrated with GeoRef, the premier abstracting and indexing database in the field. Additional journals will be added annually, and over time, GSW will seek to offer access to other research information such as monographs, maps and data sets. The library continues to offer GeoRef separately through the Ebsco platform.

Access to these research tools is through the library's Databases page. Questions? Contact the Reference Desk at 812-464-1907, or email libref@usi.edu.

Welcome (Back) To USI!

Rice Library extends a warm welcome to both new and returning USI students and faculty. We hope you will make significant use of our facilities, staff, resources, and services in your educational pursuits this coming year.

To stay up to date with the newest developments in Rice Library, consider subscribing to an RSS feed of the “Let’s Talk Library” Blog or become a fan of David L. Rice Library on Facebook. Have a great year and we hope to see you in the library. Come in and check us out!

GET CONNECTED . . . STAY CONNECTED, AT RICE LIBRARY!

A Database Feature That Deserves a Hearing

Producers of subscription databases are constantly looking for ways to improve their products to make them easier to use and more functional for users. EBSCOhost, which produces a number of databases to which Rice Library subscribes (Academic Search Premier, CINAHL with Full Text, Historical Abstracts, etc.), has recently added a “Text-to-Speech” feature which reads the text of HTML content contained in the database.

Users that retrieve full-text HTML documents (not .pdf) in an EBSCOhost database may listen to the text read by one of three English language accents (American, British, or Australian) and at one of three speeds (slow, medium, or fast). Look for the “Listen” icon (pictured at right), located in the upper left hand corner of the full-text portion of the document. Select from the accent and speed options and click on the “Listen” button. The user may select specific text or have the document read from the beginning. As an added feature, the portion being read is highlighted, making it easier to follow along.

Library Expertise for You and Your Students

Did you see this 7/16/10 post on the Inside Higher Ed website?

Rob Weir's Using Library Experts Wisely calls on faculty to re-think the same old library orientation for their students, and accurately describes the usual less-than-stellar outcomes that we librarians also observe. Your reference/instruction librarians have great ideas, and are eager to work with you for better student experiences and better work. We're always looking for chances to collaborate with faculty, to become more involved, and truly help your students succeed.

If you skim this article and are inspired to work more closely with one of us, please let us know. Contact Joanne Artz (jmailto:Jartz@usi.edu) or Johanna MacKay (jmmackay@usi.edu.) Let's make the most of your expertise and ours!

Looking for BioMedical Information? A New Free Database May Help

In addition to Rice Library’s excellent subscription databases focused on nursing and health professions and those devoted to science and engineering, users may be interested in trying a new free biomedical search site This site, known as BioMedSearch.com, combines Medline/PubMed data with data from other sources to make it one of the most comprehensive biomedical literature databases available. It includes theses, dissertations, and other publications not found anywhere else.

The database includes simple and advanced search options along with a sophisticated search syntax, which if mastered, should help users to narrow their search strategies to produce more satisfactory results. Additionally, users are allowed to browse by subject clusters (e.g., Clinical Trials, Nursing Care and Education) as well as establish their own accounts, thus giving them access to greater functionality.

Although the database contains some full-text materials, it is not largely full text, and it does not automatically link to Rice Library’s ILLiad (interlibrary loan) service. Therefore, users will need to check the library’s catalog and Journal Finder to determine availability of items retrieved via BioMedSearch.com. If needed items are not available in Rice Library’s collections, users may request them by copying and pasting the bibliographical information into the appropriate ILLiad forms in order to submit an interlibrary loan request.
For help with this or other library resources and services, contact the Rice Library Reference Desk: (812) 464-1907, (800)246-6173, libref@usi.edu, or in person on the 1st floor.

Catch the Campus Express!

It’s not too late to sign up for ILL Campus Express, a service provided by Rice Library’s Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Unit. Following a successful trial run, this service is now being offered to all interested USI faculty campus-wide. It will provide delivery of ILL books and other returnable materials via USI campus mail. At this time, this service is only available to USI Faculty.

Participants in the ILL Campus Express program receive an email notification when their ILL materials have arrived at Rice Library, and can expect delivery to their campus mailbox within 1-2 work days. Items arrive in a red nylon courier bag. Materials and bag may be returned to Rice Library through campus mail or dropped off at the Rice Library Checkout counter by the designated due date.

If you would like to participate, please read the Campus Express letter, print, sign, and date the attached form, and return to Erica Conn through campus mail.

If you have not yet taken advantage of the services Interlibrary Loan (ILL) can provide, we invite you to do so today! ILL allows USI students, faculty and staff access to materials not owned by Rice Library. ILLiad allows sharing of books, journal and newspaper articles, book chapters, dissertations, and other desired items from libraries in Indiana, the U.S., and elsewhere. Because we work with thousands of resource-sharing libraries, many needed materials are acquirable through ILL.

To sign up for Interlibrary Loan, patrons need to create a user profile by logging on to "ILLiad” using their MyUSI username and Password. The login page is located under the Interlibrary Loan tab on the Rice Library home page. Once a user profile is created, participants may continue using ILLiad to create new, cancel, or manage existing requests, request renewals, update their profile, etc.

For more information, please visit the ILL Web Pages, or contact:

Erica Conn – Interlibrary Loan Senior Library Assistant – efconn@usi.edu/ (812) 465-1683, or Brad Reel – Reference and Interlibrary Loan Librarian – bnreel@usi.edu/ (812) 465-1638

We look forward to serving you and wish you all a terrific Spring Semester!

Rice Library Ready to Roll With You!

The library now has mobile-friendly access to basic features. Mobile device users who want to search the catalog while on the run, find an article through the databases, check our hours, or contact us- can do so through the Mobile Friendly portal at the top of the library's webpage, or go directly to http://www.usi.edu/library/Mobile/index.asp

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