The Dewey Library Blog

Similar to our last post the University Libraries recently gained access to the Greenwood Digital Collection, a timely and topical collection of e-books. Many of the titles available in this new service are related to the social sciences.

For Political Science or Public Administration and Policy students:
• Reference Guides for States Constitutions – including New York, New Jersey, Maine, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont
• War Powers: The President, the Congress and Questions of War
• My Fellow Americans: Presidential Addresses that Shaped History
• The Patriot Act: A Documentary and Reference Guide
• Landmark Supreme Court Cases: A Reference Guide
• Deepening Democracy: Global Governance and Political Reform in Latin America

Social Welfare scholars and students may find this titles useful:
• Bullying: A Handbook for Educators and Parents
• Critical Thinking and Learning: An Encyclopedia for Parents and Teachers
• Gender and Education: An Encyclopedia Volumes 1 &2
• Race, Ethnicity and Education (Volumes 1-4)

The Greenwood Digital Collection also contains numerous titles dealing with a wide range of Hispanic/Latino issues:
• Latinos in a Changing Society
• Latino Chronology: Chronologies of the American Mosaic
• U.S. Latino Issues
• The Mexican Americans
• Pancho Villa and the Black Pershing: The Punitive Expedition in Mexico.

You can access and browse the Greenwood Digital Collection by going to Databases and Indexes, from the University Libraries homepage and clicking on the letter “G”. Individual e-book titles can also be located by using Minerva, the University Libraries online catalog.

Each reference title is divided into sections which are viewable on the left side of the screen. This allows you to jump from one section to another with ease. If you need help using the Greenwood Digital Collection or any other resource, feel free to drop by the reference desk, make an appointment, or Ask a Librarian!

Blog post created by Michael V. Daly

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There’s a new addition to the University Libraries’ e-book collection -- History Reference Online. This collection contains topical and historical e-books, offering quick, informative information online. Although the resource has the word “history” in the title, the collection also contains a wide variety of resources related to the social sciences.

Titles that may be of interest to Social Welfare students include;
•Adolescence in America: An Encyclopedia
•Bilingual Education: A Reference Handbook
•Family in America: An Encyclopedia
•Immigration and Asylum: From 1900 to the Present

Criminal Justice students and/or those interested in Law may find these titles useful in their research:
•Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia
•Corporate Crime: A Reference Handbook
•Gun Control in the United States: A Reference Handbook
•Guns in American Society
•Right to Counsel and Privilege against Self-Incrimination
•Right to Vote, The: Rights and Liberties under the Law

For students engaged with topics relating to Political Science or Public Administration and Policy:
•Constitutional Convention of 1787, The: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of America’s Founding
•Conflicts over Natural Resources: A Reference Handbook
•Colonialism: An International Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia
•Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the Present
History Reference Online also offers reference handbooks on numerous countries including Brazil, Pakistan, Costa Rica, and Cuba.

The entire History Reference Online collection should interest Information Studies students engaged in looking at trends in Reference service, delivery of information services and the role of e-books and online sources.

You can locate History Reference Online by going to Databases and Indexes– clicking on the letter “H” is a convenient way to do this. Soon, the individual e-book titles will also be accessible through Minerva, the University Libraries' online catalog.

History Reference Online allows you to browse available titles from pre-set subject headings or do a more focused search using the advanced search tab. Each reference title is divided into sections which are viewable on the left side of the screen. This allows you to jump from one section to another with ease. If you need help using History Reference Online or any other resource, feel free to drop by the reference desk, make an appointment, or Ask a Librarian!.

Blog post created by Michael V. Daly

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

Spring semester classes are now over, and exams have begun. For those of your preparing to end your time here at UAlbany, we want to remind you of the services offered by the University Libraries that remain available to you long after you’ve written your last paper and turned in your final projects. We encourage you to view our page with the complete description of Alumni Services, but here are some of the highlights:

• University Libraries offers borrowing privileges to those students who have received degrees from the University at Albany. Present a valid photo ID at the circulation desk (at any of the three libraries), and once your alumni status is confirmed, you will be able to check out up to 25 items for a 30 day loan period.
• We also encourage alumni to take advantage of the reference services offered by librarians – available in person or through our electronic Ask-A-Librarian services. Our librarians will gladly assist with any research question and will help you locate the information you need.
• The Interactive Media Center offers free technology instruction for students, staff and faculty which alumni may also attend.
• Alumni access to the Libraries’ online databases and indexes is limited to on-site use. However you might find our list of free databases helpful .
• You can also refer to this blog for the latest information on resources and services available.

So, even as your enter another stage of your life, remember that the University Libraries remain eager and willing to help you in your research and continuing education needs.

Blog post created by Michael Daly

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just a reminder: all materials currently on loan to faculty are due back tomorrow, April 30. You may renew your materials either in person or online.

Ph.D candidates have a fixed due date of May 31. Loans to Masters' students are for 90 days from checkout.

We appreciate your efforts to return or renew books in a timely manner. Questions about the library's lending policy? Check out our Circulation Services page, or call us at 442-3693.

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The APA Style Guide to Electronic References is now available in both print and online format. As scholars and students know, providing accurate citations to information sources is an essential component of any research project or paper. Such research increasingly relies on documents in electronic formats, and it has not always been clear how to properly identify and cite these items. This new reference from the American Psychological Association offers researchers a comprehensive guide to citing digital materials. It is now available in print or online – there is a copy in the Dewey Reference section, and one on Reserve (Call Number: BF 76.7 P84X 2007). Search Minerva for the link to our electronic access.

Organized into categories ranging from reference materials such as online encyclopedias , to digital dissertations , to slightly more esoteric formats, such as audio podcasts -- this guide provides a quick overview of the type of material being discussed and provides specific citation examples.

Of particular note is the section on journal articles. The proliferation of journals now available full-text online (both with and without print counterparts), can make navigating the world of electronic citations somewhat cumbersome. Using simple language, the style guide erases much of the confusion. In particular, this section clarifies citing in situations when an item is pre-published on the web ahead of print, or when it has been assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI number). The style guide provides commentary explaining the differences between types of online journal articles to help you determine which citation format is most appropriate.

For a refresher on some of the more “standard” citation rules for APA and other formats, be sure and visit the University Libraries’ Style Guides and “How and When to Cite…” pages. These pages provide summaries of a wide variety of citation formats, and instructional resources to help you assure that you’ve properly attributed the sources in your research.

Reference Librarians can also help you answer any questions you have regarding when and how to cite a source. When in doubt, Ask a Librarian!

Blog post created by Michael Daly

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With their rapid rise in popularity – over 100 million as of December 2007 – weblogs, or blogs, have become an almost unavoidable avenue of information. Internet-savvy scholars look for blogs that will point to potentially useful resources or news items that keep them current on their topic. However, finding blogs on your topic can be tricky; most general purpose search engines are not that effective at locating blogs. Here is a rundown of three popular search tools that specialize in retrieving information from blogs:

Google Blogsearch
Set up almost exactly like Google’s standard search engine, Blogsearch has special features that assist in searching blogs. One important feature to note – the basic search looks for your terms in individual posts of blogs, not for entire blogs devoted to your topic. Advanced Search allows refining your search of blog posts by limiting your terms to “all words” (i.e. “criminal justice and America” would search for “criminal” and “justice” and “America” anywhere in the post) or “exact phrase.” The lower search box allows you to specify that a term is found in the title of a blog; this will bring up a list of blogs that are more likely to be entirely about your topic. You can also search by URL or author. Because one of the benefits of reading blogs is the fact that they are frequently updated, the advanced form allows you to limit searching by how recently the item was posted to the web (up to one hour ago).

If you’re interested in receiving updates for the search terms you’ve entered you have the option of signing up for “Blog Alerts” which will send you email reminders when you’re search terms appear in postings and blogs. One disadvantage of Google Blogsearch is that it seems to push blogs using the Blogger platform (which it owns) to the top of your search results.

Bloglines
Similar in style and function to Blogsearch, Bloglines allows you to specifically search postings and blogs based on search terms you establish. Clicking on the “More Options” button brings up the advanced search option. Very precise searching is feasible on advanced search, as you may enter as many keywords or limits you need by clicking on the red “add an entry” tab. You can also limit by language(s) and dates. Bloglines also adds the options of letting you include or exclude news related blogs. Creating an account with Bloglines allows you to set search limits to include or exclude your established RSS feeds (using RSS feeds is like “subscribing” to blogs, in that it allows you to directly receive regular updates from your favorite blogs).

Technorati
Technorati functions on similar standards as the previous two examples, with some exceptions. One unique limit you may specify is the level of “Authority” a blog has. “Authority” is defined by Technorati by the quantity of web sites that link to the blog in the last six months (perhaps, instead of “authority,” they should use the term “popularity”). In addition, you can limit by language from the basic search screen. The “advanced search" option allows you to search blogs using many of the options offered by Blogsearch and Bloglines. Advanced search also lets you type in a URL, and it will find those blogs which link to it.

While blogs are usually not authoritative enough to use for research, they can point to some useful information. Here are a few that may be of interest to the Downtown Campus Community:

Criminal Justice Online
Government Jobs
LIS Scholarship
Social Welfare Spot

Blog post created by Michael V. Daly

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In addition to books, journal articles, and web sites, dissertations can be a valuable resource to assist in your research. The culmination of years of work in a graduate or PhD level program, a dissertation gives a glimpse of the breadth and depth of a topic, in addition to providing original research. The University Libraries offers users a few ways to locate and obtain dissertations.

From the University Libraries main web page click on “Databases and Indexes.” Browsing alphabetically by title, click on “D.” About halfway down the list you’ll see the links for “Dissertation & Theses” and “Dissertation and Theses @ SUNY Albany.”

Dissertation and Theses @ SUNY Albany contains the full text of dissertations and theses that have been written by students attending our university from 1997 to the present. In addition, all dissertations created at SUNY Albany going back, to the creation of the college in 1861, are indexed. Most of these entries offer an abstract and twenty-four page preview.

If you find a listing only available as an abstract and/or preview, you still have a couple of options for obtaining the complete document. The libraries have the majority of dissertations from our University available on microfilm. Searching Minerva by author, title or any combination of the two, you should be able to locate a copy of the dissertation at the University Libraries. Print copies of University at Albany dissertations from 1914 to the present are available in the Special Collections department, but they must be used on-site. If the full copy of the dissertation is not available from any of these locations, a last resort is to order the dissertation directly from the database.

Dissertations & Theses provides bibliographic information for dissertations and theses from over 600 accredited universities. With such large returns possible, refining and narrowing the focus of your search is important with this database (we suggest limiting keywords to citation and abstract, and providing a date range, if possible). Again, you’ll find that each result offers access to the abstract, and some offer a 24-page preview. Unfortunately, we do not have access to the full-text of these dissertations from outside our own university. To obtain one of these dissertations, submit an Interlibrary Loan request and we will do our best to obtain a copy from another library (usually from the university where the dissertation was created). If a dissertation is not available through interlibrary loan, you again have the option of ordering the dissertation directly from the Dissertations and Theses database.

The Center for Research Libraries provides access to dissertations published in foreign universities. Although their local database is no longer being updated, they do provide daily updates of their dissertation holdings to their catalog and WorldCat.

If you need further assistance or have any questions about how to search for dissertations and theses, we are happy to help. Drop by the Reference Desk, call us at 442-3691, or send us an e-mail.

Blog post created by Michael Daly

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UA Libraries have added new online resources we think you will find useful. Both can be found using the Libraries' Databases & Indexes page.

Reference Universe essentially lets you "google" a collection of reference books. It serves as a master index to the contents of 10,000 subject encyclopedias and other reference works. This means you can enter a keyword search in Reference Universe and it will tell you the reference books which contain an entry on your topic. The results may link to the full text of entries in e-books owned by the Libraries, or the results may link to the Minerva catalog records for items we own in print.

The main feature of the Testing and Education Reference Center is a comprehensive full text database of practice tests and study manuals, covering everything from GED and college entrance exams to civil service and military placement tests. Updated montly, the Testing and Education Reference Center also includes searchable databases on a variety of educational programs, including: specialty and career, graduate, undergraduate, international, and distance learning. You can set up a personal profile to access features such as a resume builder, scholarship search, and to find out which colleges and universities are recruiting in your field.

We hope you will try these additions to our online collection. We welcome any questions or opinions on these (or any) library resources. We're also happy to provide assistance and/or tips to help you use them. Leave a comment on this blog, drop by the Reference Desk, call 442-3691, or e-mail us.

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

In 2001 the American Libraries Association stated that “libraries must not discriminate against individuals with disabilities and shall ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to library resources” (http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaissues/libraryservices.cfm). The University Libraries are proud to have a host of services and policies in place to provide for persons with disabilities.

As part of the University Libraries, Dewey Library also offers services and equipment specifically designed to allow all our patrons access to the library and its resources. Patrons can utilize a wheelchair elevator to enter the library from Draper Hall. Once inside the library both the circulation and reference desk are on the first floor. Since the library’s collection in on two floors, retrieval services are offered to patrons who need items located on the lower level.

Dewey Library also has a designated computer located on the first floor for users with disabilities. This computer has JAWS voice output software which allows low vision users perform computer related tasks (spreadsheets, email, surfing the web). JAWS, in addition to providing voiced readings of the information on the screen can also produce braille text of the on-screen content.

The Dragon Naturally Speaking voice command software lets the user provide voice commands rather than keystrokes or mouse clicks. Users should be aware the voice recognition software can take some getting used to – both on the part of the user and the software. Oftentimes there is an adjustment period as the program gets “trained” to your voice.

The Kurzweil Reading Edge provides users with a voiced reading of scanned materials. Users should note that scanned items must be printed text. The Kurzweil software can also convert an electronic document to other types of file formats (ex., .PDF to .doc) if necessary.

As some of these programs may be unfamiliar to people, we encourage you to consult with a reference librarian before using them. We are eager to hear how the disability services provided at the Dewey Library can be expanded or improved. Please feel free to leave a comment on this blog or contact us in person, by phone (442-3691), or e-mail with any suggestions that you may have.

Blog post written by Michael Daly.

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

LIbrarians who are Subject Specialsts here at UAlbany have created online guides, to help you get the "lay of the land" with regard to key library resources for your academic discipline. These guides are found on the sidebar of our Dewey pages, under the heading: My Research Subject . You will also find them in the pull-down menu of the UA Libraries' main page .

Bibliographer (also the Head of Dewey) Mary Jane Brustman has updated the Subject Guides for Social Welfare and Criminal Justice.

The guides now include information about resources relevant resources in our Special Collections Department. For example, Special Collections has an archive of materials from Neighborhood and Community Associations, which may be useful for Social Welfare researchers; and The National Death Penalty Archive, of interest to some Criminal Justice researchers.

In addition to a slightly redesigned format (e.g., the guides now display an image of a recently published work by departmental faculty), the Social Welfare and Criminal Justice Subject Guides also have a "mini-update" at the bottom listing upcoming classes and library events that pertain to the subject.

We hope you'll take a look at the Subject Guides and provide us wiith feedback -- how helpful are these guides? What can we do to make them more useful? Our purpose is to make the library easier for you to use, so we welcome your opinions.

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

Now that the Spring 2008 semester is gearing up, we encourage you to come to the Dewey Library for an orientation tour. Whether you are a new or returning student, attending an orientation tour can help you learn about our great services and resources-- some of them could really help you during "crunch time" later on in the semester.

Tours are being held this week on Wednesday, January 30 at 3:30pm, as well as Thursday, January 31 at 10:00am.

Also on Thursday at 2:00pm is a workshop giving an overview of how to use Minerva, University at Albanyy's Online Catalog.

To sign up for a workshop or tour, you may register online, in person at the Reference Desk, or call 442-3691. Although we pefer you to register in advance, we will still be glad to see you if you decide to come at the last minute!

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University at Albany Libraries now offer two new databases that may be of particular interest to the downtown campus community.

Public Administration Abstracts provides bibliographic information for a wide variety of topics related to the disciplne of public administration, for example: administration and economy; law, politics and society; administrative structures and organization; international relations, organizations and policy; national government; public and social services; taxation, budgeting and finance; and theory and methods. Coverage runs from 1974 to the present.

Abstracts in Social Gerontology provides bibliographic information on topics such as: elder abuse, services and advocacy for the elderly, mental and physical health issues affecting the elderly, caregiving, death and bereavement, family issues concerning the elderly, and legislation and policies affecting the elderly.

Both of these databases are replacing their print counterparts and are available from the Database and Indexes page on the UA Libraries' main web page.

Don't forget to contact us if you have questions about these new resources, or if we can help you with any other request.

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

We'll admit it -- we know the first place you go when you are starting research might not be the library. It is more likely a web search engine, like Google.

To help you judge the information you find on the web, librarians Trudi Jacobson and Laura Cohen have updated a page on the library website about Evaluating Web Content. This useful tool includes special considerations for evaluating some of the newer types of web resources that are available. This page is easily found from the Instruction and Tutorials link on the library's main page.

The World Wide Web continues to be a sort of "Wild West" when it comes to the quality of information you can find. It is true that the amount of reputable, authoritative material published on the web continues to increase; however, the amount of questionable material that is available has also increased. With new formats of information, such as blogs, wikis, social networking sites, and mutlimedia resources, knowing how to evaluate material found on the web is of critical importance for researchers.

If you are not sure about the reliability of materials you have located on the Web, we are happy to assist you. And don't worry -- we won't have hurt feelings that you "googled" your topic!

Posted by Elaine Lasda Bergman at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We currently have trial access to a number of new bibliographic databases. We would like to know your thoughts on these products. Is the interface easy to use? How useful are the features of this database? Is the subject coverage adequate? Do you know of another product that would be more useful?

The database trials are located in 2 places. First, there are a numberof trials located on the Ebsco interface. To access them, go to the Database Finder and click on the word "Ebsco." On the Ebsco interface, click on the tab at the top that says "Choose Databases." The trial products are located at the bottom of this list. Some of the titles we are testing include:

• Abstracts in Social Gerontology :
  This database covers topics such as: psychology of aging, elder abuse, society and the elderly.
• Environment Complete :
  This database covers topics such as: energy, geography, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, and urban planning.
• Gallery Watch CRS Reports :
  This database includes the full text of Congressional Research Service Reports since 1993. These reports are initially generated for Members of Congress and include nonpartisan, objective analysis and research on all legislative issues.