The Dewey Library Blog

Now available at the Dewey Library are six new SPEC Kits. Published by the Association of Research Libraries, these SPEC Kits are the product of collaboration between Librarians and ARL staff. Together they design and edit the components of the SPEC Kits, which serve the needs of the library community worldwide.

According to the Association of Research Libraries' Website:

SPEC surveys gather information from ARL member institutions on current research library practices and policies. SPEC Kits combine the survey results and documentation from ARL member institutions to provide resource guides for libraries as they face ever-changing management problems. These guides help libraries learn about current practice in research libraries, implement new practices and technologies, manage change, and improve performance.

The titles and call numbers of the new SPEC Kits are:

• Social Software in Libraries: Dewey Library Oversized / Z 678 A88X NO.304


• Promoting the Library: Dewey Library Oversized / Z 678 A88X NO.306


• Manuscript Collections on the Web: Dewey Library Oversized / Z 678 A88X NO.307


• Graduate Student and Faculty Spaces and Services: Dewey Library Oversized / Z 678 A88X NO.308


• Library Support for Study Abroad: Dewey Library Oversized / Z 678 A88X NO.309


• Public Access Policies: Dewey Library Oversized / Z 678 A88X NO.311

These SPEC Kits can currently be found in the New Books Display, located on the main floor of the library. For more help or information regarding the SPEC Kits, please contact our User Education Librarian & Bibliographer for Information Studies, Deborah Bernnard. She can be reached by email at dbernnard@uamail.albany.edu, by telephone at 442-3699, or stop by the Reference Desk.

Blog post created by Matthew Laudicina

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Barack Obama has officially proclaimed October 2009 to be National Information Literacy Awareness Month.

The importance of developing strong information literacy skills has become vitally important in recent years. As more and more people turn to the Internet as a source of instantaneous information, having the ability to evaluate the quality and integrity of information gathered from the Internet is crucial. The role of information literacy is not limited to the Internet; the proliferation of global television and radio networks has contributed to the information overload that often overwhelms and confuses people in search of quality information. Simply having the ability to process data is no longer sufficient. People must be able to collect and assess the value and reliability of information in addition to simply process the data contained within the information.

This October is dedicated to the cause of increasing awareness to the importance of becoming an information literate society. Take a moment to read the text of the official proclamation designating October as National Information Literacy Awareness Month.

Blog post created by Matthew Laudicina

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With their dramatic rise in popularity, social networking sites have become as much an integral part of the Internet experience for the Baby Boomer generation as it has for the current generation of teens and twenty-somethings. With sites like Facebook and Twitter, Baby Boomers are creating accounts and becoming regular users en masse. Social networks, once seen as a private club exclusive to younger users, have recnetly adopted more of a “come one, come all” feel to them resulting in a sudden generational diversity among its users.

A recent Computerworld article described the Pew Research Survey found that as the influx of older users continues, social networks are dramatically altered due to their presence. Just as in the “real world,” significant behavioral differences between Baby Boomers and their children are made manifest in social networks.

Users belonging to Generation Y, often defined as those born in the 1980’s and 1990’s, tend to add every single person they’ve ever come into contact with into their social network. These users are not the least bit shy about broadcasting every detail of their daily life through frequent status updates, almost to the point of minutia.

Members of Generation X, identified as those born between 1964 and 1984, who currently make up a large portion of the mainstream workforce, have a tendency to skew their posts about their professional lives instead of their personal lives, much unlike their Gen Y counterparts.

The third generation of social network users is that of the Baby Boomers, traditionally defined as those born between 1946 and 1964. These users often use social networks to connect with old friends, share and discuss news items, and explore hobbies. As more Baby Boomers discover and use social networking tools, members of Generation X and Y are not always happy to be sharing these spaces with their parents. Social networks that were once free of parental oversight can now be used as a window into the younger generation’s lives. It seems like it won’t be long before another means of social networking arrives—one that doesn’t encourage Baby Boomers to participate.

You may wish to check out other reports from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. If you have any questions about researching internet user patterns, please contact our Information Studies Bibliographer,Deborah Bernnard. She can be reached by e-mail or by phoning 442-3699.

Blog post created by Matthew Laucidina

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For information science students who are interested in digital access and other digitization projects, you might want to check out the following title:Digital Scholarship edited by Marta Mestrovic Deyrup [Dewey ZA 4080 D549 2009].

This book is a collection of essays written by fellow librarians and archivists concerned with digitization efforts. Each essay presents a challenge or success study about establishing and maintaining digital collections in humanities-based environment. All IST tracks will find at least one chapter of interest. Here are some essays of interest in the book:

The “Russian Doll Effect”: Making the Most of Your Digital Assets/ James Bradley
Bradley studies Ball State University Libraries in Indiana to show that digital objects may have been created to be used in a certain way but were utilized by diverse populations in others ways. He points out that creating any digital object or collection is subject to the Russian Doll Effect: “…objects being utilized outside of their original context, repurposed and embedded within secondary envionrmnets and access by a diverse user group using a variety of ever-changing information pathways and technologies”.

The Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System Online / Bradley L. Schaffner
This chapter discusses a Harvard digitization project dealing with extensive interviews carried out by the Harvard University’s Russian Research Center, studying Soviet Union émigrés who fled to displaced person camps after WWII. This project, known as the Harvard Project on the Soviet System, resulted in over 700 interviews, 60 psychological tests and thousands of questionnaires that sought to understand what life was like in the Soviet Union from 1917-1940.

GIS Technology as an Alternative Way of Access to Historical Knowledge/ Albina Moscicka
This technically-illustrated chapter, perhaps of interest for GIS students, describes how GIS functions can place historical collections and information on a map. Spatial features are studied in presenting researchers with another facet of gaining historical information.

Illuminating the Manuscript Leaves: Digitization Promotes Scholarship and Outreach / Rachel I. Howard, Delinda Stephens Buie and Amy Hanaford Purcell.
For those in the archives track and who love rare books, this chapter will be of interested as it discusses illuminated manuscripts and their digitization. The University of Louisville faced the issue of striking the balance between preserving valuable manuscript leaves and making them highly accessible to anyone, including inner-city school children. Howard et. al. marries these issues with the digitization solution: using ContentDM-based Digtial Collections so valuable manuscripts can be seen digitally in high-enough quality to demonstrate the intricate details medieval manuscripts contain without sacrificing stress on the original manuscript leaf.

This title is currently shelved in the downstairs circulating collection at Dewey. Ask at the Reference Desk if you need any help.

Blog post created by Jill Parsons

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to U.S. News and World Report, librarian is considered one of the best careers in 2009.

Why is this? The report cites that librarians are expected to be more than their stereotype portrays: they are high-tech, problem solving, people-helping professionals. Librarians today are expected to apply Web 2.0 technologies all while helping people find the information they need. Plus, many librarians (myself included!) find the working environment “pleasant and the work hours reasonable”.

There are various types of librarians as well. Public librarians and school librarians are most common, but special librarians take their profession to a more specialized area. An example of a special librarian would be a law librarian or a medical librarian. Even in these tough economic times, library positions in special libraries are still available and growing.

The median salary for a librarian hovers around $47,400 depending on the type of librarian you become. One needs a Masters in Information and/or Library Science from an ALA-accredited University, such as University at Albany.

If you want more information, ask our librarians – after all, they know best about the profession and are always welcoming new information professionals.

Blog post created by Jill Parsons

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here at the University at Albany Libraries, you can augment your experience as an Information Science student. The libraries are one of the few Academic Research Libraries that participate in the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Career Enhancement Program (CEP). This program provides participants with the opportunity to gain knowledge about and work experience in an academic research library.

The University at Albany libraries will host two of the CEP fellows this summer. Arturo Longoria is from the University at Texas at Austin and Sandra Baker Castro is from here at the University at Albany. They will be on campus from May 18 through July 25. To kick off their fellowships, they will attend the Eastern New York ACRL conference held this year at Hudson Valley Community College. Once on campus, they will gain work experience in various organizations within the University Libraries (Interlibrary Loan, Archives and Special Collections, Reference and User Education, Dewey Graduate Library, Acquisitions, and Preservation).

While here, they will also meet with various University and Library groups (Library Policy Group, Collections Personnel, Systems and Technical Services Personnel, Library Faculty, User Services Personnel, staff in the Library and University Community as well as Capital District Area College Directors).

Not only does the University at Albany offer degrees in its Information Science department, the University Libraries provide additional experiences to help you on your way to an enjoyable career.

Blog post created by Judith Mueller

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here at the University at Albany Libraries, you can augment your experience as an Information Science student. The libraries are one of the few Academic Research Libraries that participate in the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Career Enhancement Program (CEP). This program provides participants with the opportunity to gain knowledge about and work experience in an academic research library.

The University at Albany libraries will host two of the CEP fellows this summer. Arturo Longoria is from the University at Texas at Austin and Sandra Baker Castro is from here at the University at Albany. They will be on campus from May 18 through July 25. To kick off their fellowships, they will attend the Eastern New York ACRL conference held this year at Hudson Valley Community College. Once on campus, they will gain work experience in various organizations within the University Libraries (Interlibrary Loan, Archives and Special Collections, Reference and User Education, Dewey Graduate Library, Acquisitions, and Preservation).

While here, they will also meet with various University and Library groups (Library Policy Group, Collections Personnel, Systems and Technical Services Personnel, Library Faculty, User Services Personnel, staff in the Library and University Community as well as Capital District Area College Library Directors).

Not only does the University at Albany offer degrees in its Information Science department, the University Libraries provide additional experiences to help you on your way to an enjoyable career.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A good source for library patrons to search for printed books, audio books, and videos is the new Books in Print : Patron Books in Print (http://www.patronbooksinprint.com/bowker/). This new database is put out by the same company (Bowker) that puts out the original Books in Print (http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/) database. This original database is widely used by libraries, booksellers, and publishers. Books in Print : Patron Books in Print provides a more user-friendly interface designed for easier use for library patrons. This new product provides a reader’s advisory which finds titles of books that are similar to ones your patrons have already enjoyed. It also provides a way to search by subject, author, or by literary award. You can also narrow your browsing by only browsing in works of fiction, non-fiction, or in books written especially for children.

On the first screen there is a link that lets you take a tour of this new interface to learn more about all that it has to offer. For example, when you browse this database you will find that your results are displayed by Books, Audio Books, and Videos. You can then sort these results alphabetically by author, alphabetically by title, by price, and by release date. If available, cover images and reviews are also provided along with each result. If you find books that look interesting you can also save them in a My Favorite Books list.

You can access this new database from the Databases and Indexes page by entering “Books in Print : Patrons Books in Print” in the Find a Database field or by selecting the “B” in the Browse by database title field.

If you have any questions about this or any other Information Studies database, please contact our Information Studies Bibliographer, Deborah Bernnard. Her phone number is 442-3699, and her email is dbernnard@uamail.albany.edu.

Blog post created by Judith Mueller

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ever wonder what the difference is between today’s typical college student and those of us who attended college before the Internet became the preminent tool for information delivery?
Finding Context: What Today’s College Students Say about Conducting Research in the Digital Age is a preliminary report by Project Information Literacy on their findings from discussions with students on seven college campuses during Fall 2008.

The impetus for this research was to find out how college students “function in the digital age”. Discussion groups focused on students’ experience with research and their strategies for completing research projects. An important finding is that research has become more difficult for students to conduct.

Two types of research were identified: research that is undertaken because a research paper has been assigned for an academic course, and research that is spurred by incidents associated with students’ every day life such as health and wellness, news, domestic, career and spiritual. Students found the research process more frustrating when engaging in course related research. Their major complaint was an inability to find appropriate resources. However, students also reported frustrations with researching everyday life problems.

The authors, Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg, from the Information School, University of Washington, found that students have difficulty establishing context for both types of research that they regularly engage in. They hope to create a typology that will help faculty and librarians understand exactly where the need for context occurs in students’ research behavior. You can access the preliminary report online at http://www.projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_ProgressReport_2_2009.pdf. More data is currently being collected by Project Information Literacy. Keep your eye out for further developments on this fascinating topic.

Blog post created by Deborah Bernnard

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now that we have a new president, what happens to all of President George W. Bush’s papers from his eight years in office? Eventually, they will be available in his Presidential Library. Until then, an archivist in the National Archives and Records Administration takes possession of all of his papers and artifacts and maintains them in a temporary depository. George W. Bush’s temporary depository is currently in Lewisville, Texas. The permanent location will eventually be on the Southern Methodist University campus. Public access to his records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) passed in 1978. This act states that George W. Bush’s records are not available for public access until January 20, 2014 (5 years after the end of his Administration). The PRA also changed the legal status of the Presidential and Vice Presidential materials. Under this act, the official records of the President and his staff are owned by the United States, not by the President. These records are eligible for access under the Freedom of Information act (FOIA), but the President can restrict access to specific kinds of information for up to 12 years after he leaves office.

The Presidential Libraries Act (44 U.S.C 2108) of 1955 established the Presidential Library System. These libraries are Presidential Archival Depositories and are part of the National Archives System. They provide for the transfer of Presidential papers and artifacts to the Federal Government. While the libraries are privately built, they are maintained by the federal government. While the act was signed into law by President Eisenhower in 1955, there are Presidential libraries for President Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman who all came before him. The Presidential Libraries Act was amended in 1986 (PL 99-323, H.R. 1349) and made significant changes to the Presidential Libraries including requiring private endowments linked to the size of the facility. The National Archives website provides information about the various laws and regulations governing the operation and access to presidential libraries.

As far as the Presidential libraries are concerned, there are three types of Presidential materials. The law that applies depends on how the materials are defined and the year it was created. Until the Reagan administration, materials created during the presidency, with the exception of Nixon, were considered personal property of the President or his staff and were considered donated historical materials. The acceptance of these collections is covered by the PLA of 1955 and may include any restrictions on access to these materials set by the donors. Thus some materials may not be available for research. However, the PRA in 1978 changed the legal status of Presidential and Vice Presidential materials. Under this law, the official records are owned by the United States. These records are available for access under the FOIA. Only the Nixon Presidential Historical Materials are governed by the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act (PRMPA) of 1974.

A few books on Presidential Libraries that we have here in Dewey Library are:

• Presidential Libraries and Collections by Fritz Veil – Dewey Library / CD 3029.82 V45 1987


• Records of the Presidency : Presidential Papers and Libraries from Washington to Reagan by Frank L. Schick with Renee Schick and Mark Carroll – Dewey Library / Reference : CD 3029.82 S35 1989


• Presidential Papers and the Presidential Library System by Jannean L. Elliott – Dewey Library / CD 330299.82 E44 1981


• The History and Organization of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York (microform) by Frances Bromiley – Dewey Library / Microfiche: Z 674 A88X No. 117

Information about the thirteen Presidential Libraries can be found at the following links:

• Herbert Hoover Library (http://www.hoover.archives.gov/)


• Franklin D. Roosevelt Library (http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/)


• Harry S. Truman Library (http://www.trumanlibrary.org/)


• Dwight D. Eisenhower Library (http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/)


• John F. Kennedy Library (http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/)


• Richard Nixon Library (http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/index.php)


• Gerald R. Ford Library (http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/)


• Jimmy Carter Library (http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/)


• Ronald Reagan Library (http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/)


• George H. W. Bush Library (http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/)


• William J. Clinton Library (http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/)


• George W. Bush Library (http://www.georgewbushlibrary.gov/)

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When using online journal articles you may have noticed that they sometimes include a DOI number, and wondered as to its significance. Here are some Q & A about DOI’s and what they are used for.

Q.: What does “DOI” stand for?
A: DOI stands for Digial Object Identifier. This is essentially a persistent identification number for digital content.

Q: What does “persistent identification number for digital content” mean in plain English?
A: Essentially what this means for academic researchers is that an electronic document (say, an online journal article) is given a unique ID number that will enable anyone to find the document on the web.

Q: Why not just use a URL or web address?
A: Sometimes the location of a document changes on the web – the URL changes, for example, or the publisher of the journal changes. Even if the location or other information about the article (metadata) changes, the DOI remains the same and the article can still be located through that number.

Q: How do I use the DOI?
A: One easy way is to enter the number into Google. Google will recognize the number and will take you right to the material (or information on where to find it).

Q: What if you need a paid online subscription to access the journal?
A: The DOI will not provide you with the full text, but will provide you with the publisher’s site or other citation to the article. You will still have to check Minerva http://minerva.albany.edu to see if we subscribe to the journal.

Q: Do I have to include the DOI in my bibliography or list of references?
A: APA format stipulates that one include the DOI in a citation when it is available. For assistance with this, Ask A Librarian. Here is an example:

Goddard, J. and Barrett, S. (2008) Guidance, policy and practice and the health needs of young people leaving care. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 30(1), 31 – 47. doi: 10.1080/09649060802124760.

Q: Are DOI’s used just for journal articles?
A: No, DOI’s are used for a wide range of electronic documents and content. For more information, see http://www.doi.org/.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Information Studies students might want to check out the library web page for useful information when looking for employment. On the library’s main web page on the right hand side, select “Information and Library Science” in the “My Research Subject is…” field. Then select “Internet Resources” at the top of the screen. And finally select the “Employment” link in the right hand column. You will find a number of useful internet sites that contain job listings in the information and library science fields. These job listings are both local to the Capital District (Capital District Library Council Job Postings ) as well as around the United States. (ALA Joblist).

You might want to also check out the Department of Information Science web page. Select the Resources for Students link in the left hand column of the main page. If you scroll down the page you will find the Career Links section. Within this section, select the Job Search link. Here the Internet sites are grouped together by location: Regional, New England Area, National, and International. Within the National group they are also grouped further by type of library: Academic, Archives & Records Management, General, Government, High-tech, Meta Job Sites, School Libraries, and Special Libraries.

Another source for information about employment in the information and library science field are the following two books that can be found in Dewey Library. These books are relatively recent books therefore the information they contain will be more relevant than some others. With the changes in technology in recent years, like many other careers, the information and library science career has changed dramatically.

• The Nextgen Librarian's Survival Guide by Rachel Singer Gordon (Z 682.35 V62 G67 2006)
• Straight From the Stacks : a Firsthand Guide to Careers in Library and Information Science by Laura Townsend Kane (Z 682.35 V62 K36 2003).

Blog post created by Judith Mueller

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As an Information Studies student, you receive many email messages about a number of professional organizations and their various divisions. You might be confused as to what they are all about and why you should join them. Once you graduate and find work, belonging to a professional organization is the best way to keep up with the latest changes in any profession including librarianship.

Participating in a national association such as the American Library Association, reading their publications and attending their conferences keeps you informed of the latest changes in technologies and ideologies. Joining a state association such as the New York Library Association allows you to keep informed of your state government’s support (or lack of thereof) for the local public and school libraries.

You may wish to join one or more sections, divisions or roundtabies within each association, such as those for catalogers, science librarians, or bibliographic instruction librarians. This allows you to meet and learn from your fellow librarians in the same or similar specialized fields.

Here is a list of some of library associations:

• Academic Librarians - ACRL –Association of College and Research Libraries and Eastern New York ACRL


• Public Librarians – PLA - Public Library Association


• Catalogers and Technical Services – ALCTS – Association for Library Collections and Technical Services


• School Media Specialists – AASL – American Association of School Librarians


• Young Adult Librarians – YALSA – Young Adult Library Services Association


• Reference and Information Literacy Instructors– RUSA – Reference and User Services Association


• Archivist –SAA – Society of American Archivists


• Special Librarians– SLA - Special Library Association and UNYSLA – Upstate New York Chapter Special Library Association


• Medical Librarians – MLA – Medical Library Association


• Music Librarians - MLA – Music Librarians' Association


• Law Librarians – AALL – American Association of Law Libraries<.li>
  

• Business Librarians – CDBL – Capital District Business Librarians
  
• Technical Services Librarians – CATS – Capital Area Technical Services Committee

• Student ALA and SCALA chapters – SCALA – Student Chapter of the American Library Association and New York Library Association


• Student ASIST chapter – Student chapter of the American Society for Information Science and Technology


• Student SLA chapter - the Special Library Association Student Group

• SLEEK – Special Librarians Eating and Exchanging Knowledge This group meets bimonthly for dinner and socializing.

Probably the biggest reason to join as a student is because student fees are much cheaper than once you are out working in the field and have to pay regular fees. While some employers will pay for your association fees, others won’t.

There are a great number of library associations out there. If you are interested in learning about others, check out this link: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/resources/orgs.htm

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new book available at Dewey Library entitled Managing Electronic Government Information in Libraries: Issues and Practices will interest students who need to work with or access government information electronically. Information Science students interested in working as government documents librarians as well as those interested in working as reference, map, digital, or technical services librarians may also find this book useful.

Since this book was edited by Andrea M. Morrison for the Government Documents Round Table of ALA, its focus is on discussing the issues of electronic government collections specifically for depository libraries. However, it provides useful information for all types of libraries. With the government providing information electronically more and more, the issues of providing access to it becomes a concern for all. For example, in the past you could find the printed IRS tax forms at most public libraries. Now, since the IRS has stopped printing most specialized forms, public librarians need to know how to access these forms for their patrons.

This book also provides guidance for implementing and improving services for various populations like the underserved, young adults, and children. It also touches upon collection development, bibliographic control as well as integrating electronic government documents into reference services. It discusses the managing of local, state, federal, as well as international electronic government resources as well.

Managing Electronic Government Information in Libraries: Issues and Practices currently is shelved in the New Books Display behind the monitor on the first floor but later will be shelved at Dewey Z 688 G6 M37 2008.

Blog post created by Judith Mueller

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you are interested in reading some of the latest research concerning libraries you might want to check out the Research Reports section of the Information and Library Science area on the library web site. This research currently contains such topics as the future of libraries, library usage, and library perceptions.

These reports are compiled by various library advocacy groups such as American Library Association (ALA), Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Online Computer Learning Center (OCLC). One report (Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources) surveyed library users for their perceptions of libraries and the role they play when doing electronic research, while its companion report (OCLC: College Students Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources) found that while older students were more positive about libraries when seeking information, younger students were less positive.

To find these reports, from the library main web page , go to the My Research Subject Is... field on the right hand side of the page. Then click on the Choose Your Subject menu and select Information & Library Science. Click on the first bullet in the list Internet Resources in Information and Library Science . Then click on Research Reports.

These reports can be especially useful if you need to come up with a topic for a research paper. If you have questions about these or other Information Studies resources, contact Information Studies Bibliographer Deborah Bernnard.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this hurried modern world, students these days are often more concerned about ‘passing the test’ than actually learning. Computerized social networking groups, blogs, and other online entertainment have changed the way we socialize, the internet has changed the way we gather information, and instant messaging and email challenge our concept of space and time. As a result, now more than ever, the village in the expression “It takes a village to raise a child” has become a global village.

A new book co-authored by University at Albany professor Joette Stefl-Mabry, Knowledge Communities: Bringing the Village into the Classroom, discusses how the local and global community should become a bigger part of the classroom. In this modern world, feeling connected to and belonging to larger groups has changed dramatically. Children are no longer participating in family dinners or even playing outdoors with their neighbors. Now children spend more time with and feel a sense of belonging to their online communities. With this change in how children relate to the world the authors’ state the need “to create schools that maximize the students’ ability to interact with the world around them.”

The authors advocate the need to create ‘Knowledge Communities” as a way to organize the world. These knowledge communities are comprised of “people in diverse positions who collectively help members of an enterprise shape their future.” By bringing the world into the classroom, students can see how they are a part of this larger global village. The authors’ state that we need “to be proactive and not reactive” to the changes in society that shape how students see their world. This book is invaluable to those interested in preparing students to become

Co-author Joette Stefl-Mabry is an Assistant Professor with the College of Computing and Information, Department of Information Studies as well as an Assistant Research Professor with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Theory and Practice at the University at Albany. This book can be found in both the Main Library as well as Dewey Library with the Call Number of LB 2833.82 S8415 2006. For now, in Dewey Library it can be found on the New Book Shelf near the Reference Desk.

Blog post created by Judith O. Mueller

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new subject guide for IST students in the Archives track, is now available on the Libraries’ web site. This guide is a terrific starting point for conducting research about archival collections, preservation, and records management. You can easily find the guide from the University Libraries’ main web page. Using the drop down menu under the words "My Research Subject Is,” choose the subject "Information and Library Science." One of the options that appears is a link for Archives: A Guide to Information Sources.

The resources are broken down into five main categories. The first, Finding Articles, highlights specific databases for locating scholarly articles dealing with archives and records management. The nature of archives research is interdisciplinary -- with content found in information science, education, and history databases.

The Finding Books category provides a quick overview of Minerva, the library's online catalog, and Interlibrary Loan. However the most helpful information here may be the list of the most common Library of Congress Subject Headings for archives and records management. These terms can save you time when searching Minerva and other library catalogs. Most books related to archives are located here at Dewey, but any items housed at the uptown libraries can be obtained through UA Delivery.

While not the primary focus of this research guide, the section Locating Archival Collections provides links to some popular online sources for finding special collections and other types of repositories.

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Bibliographies relating to the study of archives are found in the Dewey Library Reference Collection. A quick description of these ready referenc sources, along with its call number make this section of the research guide a quick, but extremely useful stop.

Internet Resources includes web links for everything from professional archival associations, to sites dealing with topical issues such as digital preservation. These sites have been vetted for authority and reliability by our Information Studies Subject Specialist.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, remember, you can always Ask-A-Librarian! For researching in-depth topics relating to archives and records management we encourage you to contact the Information Studies Subject Specialist, Deborah Bernnard.

Blog post created by Michael Daly

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Finding information about technology is critical to today’s Information Studies students and faculty. In an effort enhance our offering of technology resources available to the UA community, the University Libraries now subscribe to the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Digital Library database. ACM is a widely recognized organization with a mission to advance computing as a science and a profession.

This database is a vast collection of citations and full text from ACM journal and newsletter articles, as well as conference proceedings. Key topics include: computer technology, online education, software engineering, programming, networking, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, and information systems, to name a few.

Free registration is required to access personalized services, such as table-of-contents (TOC) alerts and virtual binders. The TOC alert service sends an email when a new issue of an ACM resource has been posted in the digital library. The virtual binder is your own personal bibliography where you can organize and store copies of articles of interest or build your own resource list for future research.

The ACM Digital Library is available from the Libraries’ Databases and Indexes page. As always, if you need help with this or any other library resource drop by the Dewey Library Reference Desk, call us at 442-3691, or submit ani Ask-A-Librarian request online.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dewey Library is proud to announce that it is now receiving Public Services Quarterly, which happens to be edited by the University Libraries’ own Trudi Jacobson, who is the coordinator of User Education Programs. This journal is a great addition to our collection of journals on academic librarianship. It focuses on all areas of public service in academic libraries, including reference, information literacy and instruction, access and delivery services, e-reserves, and digital collections.

Public Services Quarterly is available both in print at the Dewey Library (call number Z 711 P845) and online through Minerva.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

University Libraries have recently added two new databases of interest to Information Studies Students available through EBSCO Host: Education Research Complete and Book Index with Reviews.

Education Research Complete is a large education database that covers all levels of education from early childhood through higher education. Although Education Research Complete is primarily an education database, it also includes a number of Library and Information Science journals. Deborah Bernnard, bibliographer for Information Studies, thinks that this database will be very useful to Information Studies students. She says that “it will help students obtain citations to recently published resources. It also includes publications from many trade associations; which can help to add to the practitioner’s viewpoint to student research.” With indexing and abstracting of 1500 education journals and full-text coverage of 750 journals, Education Research Complete is the largest full-text education database available.

The library also has a one-year free trial of Book Index with Reviews, whose goal is to help users “find information on the books you want and need to read.” The database contains information on a very wide range of books (3.8 million total), including both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. Juvenile books range from pre-school to high-school level and adult book coverage extends from popular literature to the academic research level. Book Index with Reviews also has over 800,000 book reviews from sources including Library Journal, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Choice. Deborah Bernnard thinks that it is an especially good resource for finding book reviews of popular titles.

You can access these databases through the Database Finder at http://library.albany.edu/databases/search.asp.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deborah Bernnard would like Information Studies students and faculty to be aware of two useful new books that have content about careers in Information Studies:

Dowell, D. R. & McCabe, G. B. (2006) It’s all about student learning: Managing community and other college libraries in the 21st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Dewey Z 675 J8 I87 2006

This book’s focus is on Community College and Small College libraries. The authors differentiate these institutions from other academic libraries by their collection policies. These libraries are more likely to collect materials that support student learning rather than faculty research. The book contains a series of essay chapters written by working librarians in which they explain how to: organize a Community College library, motivate Community College students, market the library to students and faculty, manage library budgets and more.

It’s all about student learning: Managing community and other college libraries in the 21st century is full of practical advice that will be of benefit to librarians who are just starting their careers as well as more experienced librarians. For example, Patricia Vierthaler, Technical Services Librarian at Trident Technical College in Charleston, South Carolina, provides a detailed primer on long range planning and David R. Dowell, Director of the Library/Learning Resources at Cuesta College, in California, provides a useful chapter on budgeting. The book also includes several short one to two page appendices which contain advice on selected topics.

Skrzeszewski, S. (2006). The knowledge entrepreneur. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press.
Dewey Z 682.35 V62 S57 2006

The Knowledge Entrepreneur is written for graduates of Information Studies programs who don’t want to work in libraries. Instead of becoming a librarian think about becoming a knowledge entrepreneur. Skrzeszewski defines a knowledge entrepreneur as “someone who is skilled at creating and using intellectual assets for the development of new ventures or services that will lead to personal and community wealth creation or to improved and enhanced services”(Skrzeszewski, 3). Skills, characteristics and traits that make a good entrepreneur are described and case studies of entrepreneurs in action are interspersed throughout the book.

Skrzeszewski himself is a trained librarian who has left a 22 year career in libraries to become a consultant. He has written an engaging how-to book that forecasts some of the career niches for future MSIS and MLS graduates.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)