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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