Research 101 LibGuide: Rice Library’s “User Manual”

Rice Library’s Reference Librarians would like to spread the word about one of the most helpful and informative of our 220-plus LibGuides – Research 101.  This comprehensive guide covers the “what” and the “how” of the resources available to USI students and faculty, both in and outside of the library.  Many of the tabs, which focus on a more general topic, will include a drop-down menu directing users to pages covering more specialized areas.  Many of the tabs include embedded tutorials, plus links to the resource pages themselves.

Here are just some of the questions users may have for which Research 101 has the answer…

Question: Where can I go for a refresher on using the Rice Library Catalog?

 

Answer: Research 101 LibGuide,Library Catalog Tab – Choose a tutorial from Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced Catalog, Library Call Numbers, Library Account, or Renewing Items.

Question: We learned about “Journal Finder" in library instruction, but is there a place I can review how to use it for my research?

Answer: Research 101LibGuide, Journal Finder tab – Watch the tutorial and link to the Journal Finder online resource.

Question: There is so much information out there on the web; is there a strategy I can use to quickly and effectively evaluate websites?

Answer: Research 101 LibGuide, Evaluating Resources tab, “Evaluating Websites” link from the drop-down menu.

Question: I don’t want to plagiarize!  Does the library have an online resource to help me avoid committing plagiarism?

Answer: Research 101 LibGuide, Information Ethics tab, “Plagiarism” link from the drop-down menu (note: a funny YouTube video is included on this page).

Question: What are those totally “old school” looking machines past the bathrooms on the first floor of the library and what do they do?

Answer: Research 101LibGuide, Microfilm/fiche tab – These machines read microfilm and microfiche - storage media on which a large portion of our journal holdings are stored.

Question: My history class visited a beautiful room on the third floor of the library called University Archives and Special Collections.  I would like to show some of my friends what it looks like.  Do you have a video that features this part of the library?

Answer: Research 101 LibGuide, Archives/Special Collections tab – Watch the video and use the links to access the University Archives and Special Collections web pages.

Question: I am just beginning my research and haven’t a clue how to get started; do you have any place where I can get some tips on choosing or narrowing my topic?

Answer: Research 101LibGuide, Beginning Your Research tab – Choose from the sub-pages: Choosing a Topic, Narrowing a Topic, Creating a Thesis Statement, and Starting Your Research

Question: Can you help me find a list of web sites where I can locate images for my presentation?

Answer: Research 101LibGuide, Finding Images tab

Question: I signed up for an ILLiad account, but I am still unclear how linking from article or book records to make an Interlibrary Loan request works.  Is there a place I can learn more about this?

Answer: Research 101LibGuide, Interlibrary Loan tab – Watch the tutorial which explains open URL linking from Rice Library databases.

Question: I am still not quite sure what is meant by a library “database.”  Is there somewhere I can go to get a better idea what that means?

Answer:  Research 101 LibGuide, Databases tab, “What is a Database?” link from the drop-down menu – Watch the tutorial titled “What is a database and how do I access it?”  The databases tab also has several tutorials provided directly from our database vendors - e.g. EBSCOHost databases.

Question: What does the library have in the way of popular materials?

Answer: Research 101 LibGuide, Knowing What’s Available tab, “Popular Materials” link from the drop-down menu.

Question: My professor placed an item on electronic reserve; how and where do I go to retrieve it?

Answer: Research 101 LibGuide, Course Reserves tab – Watch the tutorial and link to the Rice Library Course Reserves tab in the Online Catalog.

We hope that you will have an opportunity to visit Research 101 soon to see all that it has to offer.

 

BR

Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence

In an e-mail dated 10/2, Dr. Amy Cavanaugh, a staff therapist in the university’s Counseling Center, invited the university community to join them in observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to show support for “those who have survived domestic violence” by participating in the Purple Ribbon Campaign.  Purple ribbons are available at the Counseling Center, Multicultural Center, International Programs and Services Office, Recreation Center, and Housing and Residence Life Office.

Amy’s e-mail prompted me to investigate Rice Library’s resources related to this important topic.  When I did, I discovered that we have several items on domestic violence, including books, reference books, videos, and journals.  When searching Rice Library’s catalog, users may want to try the keyword phrase domestic violence or one of the official Library of Congress subject headings:  Family violence, Child abuse, Intimate partner violence, Marital violence, or Victims of family violence.  Among the titles discovered from such searches are:
               A Troubled Marriage:  Domestic Violence and theLegal System by Leigh Goodmark

               PreventingFamily Violence:  A MultidisciplinaryApproach edited by Ko-Ling Chan

               Push:  A Novel by Sapphire

The library also has several reference books related to the topic, including the Domestic Violence Sourcebook (2009) and the Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence (2007).  Within its audiovisual collections, one can find both non-fictional treatments of the topic in videos like Family Violence:  Breaking the Chain (2003) and dramatic presentations as well, like The Color Purple (1997).

Lastly, those interested in researching domestic violence and related topics, will be pleased to know that Rice Library makes available at least a dozen periodical publications on the topic, including both professional trade publications and scholarly journals.  Among these are Domestic Violence Report, Family & Intimate Partner ViolenceQuarterly, and Journal of FamilyViolence.

If you need assistance locating these or other resources related to “domestic violence,” please contact Rice Library’s Reference Desk (812/464-1907, 800/246-6173, libref@usi.edu).

PO

Meet Marna- Rice Library's New Director!

We are excited to welcome Marna Hostetler as the new director of Rice Library. We wanted to give you an idea of how cool our new director is so we challenged her to answer these 10 questions.


1. If you could be any fictional literary character, who would you be? Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series.

2. Soda or coffee? Definitely coffee.

3. What’s on your iPod? Prince and lots of r&b and funk. (Marna later revealed that she has seen Prince twice in concert!)

 

4.What's on your e-reader? Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

5. What’s your favorite gadget? Kindle Fire

6. Do you have any pets? Yes, two cats named Graycy and Trip

7. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Working at McDonald’s or the cafeteria in college

8. If you could only eat one thing at the Fall Festival, what would it be? Elephant ears...wait! Pork tenderloin for sure. (Marna then told us about the strange but true origins of the sandwhich. Read about it here in Gourmet Magazine).  

9. Fill in the blank. When I’m not in the library working, I most likely am hanging out with my five year old son.

10. Time to test your Reader’s Advisory Skills. Name one book you would suggest that college students read. The book that had a huge impact on me as a college student was A Sand County Almanac: With Other Essays on Conservation from Round River by Aldo Leopold. (Check it out from Rice Library)


Thanks to Marna for answering!

-Nicole Tekulve
Instructional Services Librarian