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The UMUC Information and Library Services Newsletter
Summer 2008 • Volume 8, Issue 2
Previous Issues
Contents:
- From Stephen Miller
- Electronic Resources News
- Hot Sites
- For Your Information...
- Faculty Corner
- ILS Hours and Locations
From Stephen Miller
Associate Provost, Information and Library Services
Welcome to the summer semester at UMUC! All of us in Information and Library Services wish new and returning faculty, students, and staff all the best as you carry out your educational and professional endeavors. As always, we are ready and eager to assist you in obtaining the resources and services necessary to meet your information needs. This newsletter highlights some of the exciting developments and recent activities in ILS.
Over the winter/spring, ILS conducted our annual collection management assessment for fiscal year 2009. We carefully reviewed UMUC's library databases, taking into account current budgetary constraints. With input from faculty through the Library Liaisons and Faculty Library Liaison Group, we added, upgraded, substituted, or discontinued databases to obtain optimal support for UMUC's programs and the best value for UMUC, resulting overall in the addition or upgrading of 12 databases and the discontinuation of 20 databases. To supplement our extensive e-book collection, we have also purchased about 400 new titles on a wide variety of topics. For more details on these changes, as well developments and additions to our EBSCOHost resources, please see below. ILS remains committed to providing you with the resources you need to support your research!
Starting with the Fall 2008 semester, overseas students, faculty, and staff will be assigned library barcode numbers that can be accessed on the MyUMUC portal. The new login system will afford increased security for those accessing resources from UMUC-Asia and UMUC-Europe.
In keeping with our ongoing effort to provide our users with convenient access to library resources and services, ILS has expanded our Instant Messaging hours and has also implemented text messaging.
ILS recently hosted a Library Fun Workshop on Take Your Sons & Daughters to Work Day. This event proved to be a great time for the kids...and for the library staff, as well!
Beginning with the Fall 2008 semester, overseas faculty will be able to avail themselves of new E-reserves and book delivery options. The new system is designed to facilitate getting the materials you need for your classes and you will also be able to more easily obtain books from the University System of Maryland and affiliated institutions (USMAI) consortium libraries.
ILS continues to reach out to faculty through CTL workshops. The Google Universe workshop, designed to acquaint participants with the advantages and disadvantages of using Google for academic research and demonstrate effective use of its search tools, was offered in April. A third offering of the CTL online workshop Information Literacy in the Natural Sciences was completed in May, and a complementary CTL workshop on Information Literacy in the Social Sciences will be held in June.
Due to requests from specific academic programs for more focused faculty instruction, ILS has also been planning and conducting subject-specific workshops for faculty. The Legal Studies faculty participated in a five-day workshop that provided an overview of library resources and services. And in June, faculty in the Department of Business and Professional Programs will participate in a business workshop designed to acquaint them with the numerous business resources and services offered by the library.
I encourage faculty to take advantage of the ILS library liaison program. Library liaisons can assist faculty in their teaching and research needs, and are also available to provide course-related library instruction.
The library's wide array of valuable resources and services remains available to UMUC faculty, students, and staff. Research assistance is available 24/7 via chat and email. In-person and telephone assistance are available during regularly-scheduled business hours at both our Adelphi and Dorsey Station locations. We also offer both walk-in and telephone research assistance on Saturday and Sunday at our office at McKeldin Library on the University of Maryland College Park campus.
Meeting the information needs of the UMUC community and providing the highest quality service are our primary goals at ILS. We are always open to any suggestions that will better enable us to assist you. Please contact us if you wish to share any ideas or comments.
Enjoy your summer and the new semester!
Electronic Resources News
Collection Management Assessment
As part of our collection management assessment for fiscal year 2009, Information and Library Services (ILS) performed a careful review of UMUC's library electronic resources in light of current budget constraints. Factors taken into account included the number of times the resource was accessed in the previous fiscal year, whether similar content was also available in another resource or on the Web, how instrumental a resource is in supporting the UMUC curriculum, whether the resource was full text and FindIt enabled, how often it was used by ILS librarians for instructional purposes, its cost, and whether we found a lower cost equivalent substitute. Input was solicited from faculty throughout the university. In addition, ILS explored new resources that could be added or serve as substitutes to better support UMUC's programs. Below are the lists of additions/substitutions, as well as those databases that have been discontinued as of July 1, 2008. Be assured that, as always, ILS remains prepared to support your research needs through our 110 databases and other electronic resources. Be sure to see our subject guides for appropriate databases in your area of study.
Electronic Resources Added or Upgraded |
Vendor Interface |
Academic OneFile |
Gale |
AnthroSource |
Blackwell Publishing |
Business Source Complete (upgrade Business Source Premier) |
EBSCOHost |
D&B Key Business Ratios (upgrade to 3 years) |
D&B |
Gale Virtual Reference Library |
Gale |
GenderWatch |
ProQuest |
GeoREF |
EBSCOHost |
Oxford Reference Online Premium with Western Civilization and Literature Add On |
Oxford University Press |
Philosopher’s Index |
EBSCOHost |
Points of View Center |
EBSCOHost |
Sociological Abstracts Plus |
ProQuest |
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts |
ProQuest |
Electronic Resources Discontinued |
Vendor Interface |
American Chemical Society (ACS) Journals *Exception: Will discontinue as of January 1, 2009 |
ACS |
Bibliography of the History of Art |
CSA |
Business and Industry |
Gale/RDS |
Business and Management |
Gale/RDS |
EconLit |
EBSCOHost |
Encyclopedia Britannica |
Encyclopedia Britannica |
Expanded Academic Index |
Gale |
GEOBASE |
OCLC FirstSearch |
Health Reference Center |
Gale |
History Resource Center (US) |
Gale |
History Resource Center (World) |
Gale |
Ingenta ConnectComplete |
Ingenta |
LexisNexis Primary History: African American |
LexisNexis |
LexisNexis Statistical |
LexisNexis |
Library Literature and Information Science |
EBSCOHost |
Literature Resource Center |
Gale |
Opposing Viewpoints Center |
Gale |
Oxford English Dictionary |
Oxford University Press |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
PloS |
Tablebase |
Gale/RDS |
EBSCOHost Web 2.0 and Other Enhancements are Coming in July 2008
There is a new look coming soon to our EBSCOHost electronic resources!
More information is also available on the EBSCO site.
GreenFILE - Free Database From EBSCO is Available
A free environmental database is now available in our EBSCOHost interface, called GreenFILE, which offers a unique perspective on the positive and negative ways humans affect the environment.
New NetLibrary Titles are Available!
We added about 400 titles recently in many topic areas in our NetLibrary (e-book) collection:
- Anthropology
- Art
- Biotechnology
- Business and Marketing
- Business Ethics
- Communications
- Company and Industry
- Computer Sciences
- Criminal Justice
- Education and Distance Education
- Emergency Management
- Environmental Management
- Finance and Accounting
- Fire Science
- Gerontology
- Health
- History
- Homeland Security
- Humanities
- Information Technology Systems
- Legal
- Literature
- Management
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Reference and Biography
- Religion
- Sciences
- Sociology
- Statistics
- US Government
- Women's Studies
Hot Sites... Business Management
If you are pursuing a career in business management, you will find an abundance of useful information in these Web sites. Whether you are interested in starting a small business or developing your leadership skills, these sites are well worth taking some time to explore.
-
Business Week: Managing
This Web site has articles on business management topics such as managing your career, team, company, or board. There are also best practices guides and case studies. A small business section is also featured, as well as the latest management-related business news. -
Entrepreneur: Management
Find how-to guides on such topics as creating a purchasing program, setting up a shipping system, hiring, and handling emergencies. The site also contains sections dealing with employee compensation and the development of leadership skills. Also featured are the Insurance Center, which contains facts on researching and obtaining insurance for your business, and the Women’s Center, containing resources for female entrepreneurs. -
SCORE
Get free mentoring, find tools on how to write a business plan or manage staff, take online courses on starting businesses and analyzing finance, and read success stories of other small businesses on this Web site. All this and more from SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and the formation, growth, and success of small businesses nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). -
Small Business Administration Small Business Planner
Learn all aspects of managing a business. This site includes information about leadership traits, decision-making skills, and how to manage employees. Additionally, it covers marketing basics, setting prices, filing business taxes, legal considerations, forecasting for future growth, and financing options.
For Your Information...
Overseas Faculty, Students, and Staff - Get Your Library Barcode Number!Beginning with the Fall 2008 semester, all UMUC-Asia and UMUC-Europe, faculty, students, and staff will be assigned a library barcode number, which will be available for you to access in MyUMUC. You will need this number to log into library resources. (See the Library Login Changes announcement below). Library Login Changes
Starting with the Fall 2008 semester, you will need to log in to library resources using either your library barcode number or your EMPLID. Resources include library databases, Quick Searches, Journal Finder, Research Port, DocumentExpress, RefWorks, and our chat service. Additional resources for faculty include Ereserves and Turnitin.com. Look for more details about this on the library Web site throughout the summer.
Expanded Instant Messaging Hours
Information and Library Services now offers expanded hours for its popular Instant Messaging Service. ILS librarians are available during these hours to field questions from faculty, staff, and students that involve quick, brief answers. Of course, ILS still maintains its 24/7 chat and email reference service for more involved research questions, as well as in-person and telephone assistance during regularly-scheduled office hours. We also offer both walk-in and telephone research assistance on Saturday and Sunday at our office at McKeldin Library on the University of Maryland College Park campus.
Now you can use your cell phone to get quick answers to library-related questions. Simply send a message to 265010. In the body of the text, just put umuclibrary: your message. (Please note: This may result in the charge for a standard text from your wireless service provider, depending on your plan.)
ILS Hosts Library Fun Workshop on Take Your Sons & Daughters to Work Day
To celebrate UMUC’s Take Your Sons & Daughters to Work Day, ILS hosted a Library Fun Workshop for children of UMUC employees. The children created origami frogs and and decorated bookmarks with drawings and tassels. Photos of the children were then printed on the bookmarks. The workshop, hosted by Julie Arnold, Renee Brown, and Deborah Newman, proved to be great fun for kids and library staff alike!
Li Fu has joined the ILS staff in the role of Digital Services Librarian. Ms. Fu comes to UMUC from Indiana University - Bloomington, where she was the ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility) Project Cataloging Support Specialist. She was also a Web Programmer and Developer at the Indiana Daily Student at Indiana University - Bloomington.
Faculty Corner
E-reserves and Book Delivery Options for Overseas Faculty
ILS Continues to Offer CTL Faculty Workshops!
Google Universe
Faculty members from around the world participated in the second version of the Google Universe online workshop, first offered in 2007 by ILS. UMUC librarians Ed O’Donnell and Ryan Shepard, assisted by Kee-Young Moon, Advanced Technologies Librarian, created the course content and facilitated the workshop, which aimed to teach faculty members the advantages and disadvantages of using Google as a tool for academic research.Some of the topics covered included:
- Performing advanced searches in Google that afford more precise and useful results
- Linking to full text of articles in Google Scholar search results using our custom “find it at UMUC” links
- Finding white papers, conference proceedings, and other grey literature using Google Scholar
- Searching for books using Google Books and determining whether full text is available online
- Accessing and generating maps using Google Maps and Earth and using them as instructional tools
- Using Google Images, understanding copyright restrictions and obligations surrounding the service, and conveying this knowledge in the classroom
Workshop members participated in lively forums and completed several assignments, all of which provided excellent opportunities to learn more about using Google’s search tools effectively. Overall, the workshop was a success, with one participant saying, “I am glad to have it on my roster of courses and anticipate referring to it as a reference in my personal and professional endeavors over the next year."
Information Literacy in the Natural Sciences
ILS completed a third CTL online workshop addressing Information Literacy in the Natural Sciences, with thirteen faculty members participating. Academic Director for Natural Sciences and Environmental Management Debra F. McLaughlin, Ph.D., co-facilitated the workshop with Reference and Instruction Librarian Robert Miller, who is the library’s liaison to the Natural Sciences. Workshop participants explored and discussed UMUC’s information literacy goals for undergraduates. Information literacy, a Core Learning Area at UMUC, empowers life-long learners to find, evaluate, and use information efficiently, effectively, legally, and ethically not only in the classroom, but also at work and in their personal lives.Social Sciences
A complementary Social Sciences CTL workshop will be held June 16 to June 27. Darlene Smucny, Academic Director for the Social Sciences, will co-facilitate with Robert Miller. The Social Sciences workshop will focus on information literacy skills in anthropology, behavioral sciences, gerontology, and sociology. Social sciences faculty will receive an invitation to register from Dr. Smucny.
Legal Studies
In addition to CTL workshops, ILS also creates independent workshops to showcase library resources especially useful in a particular subject or discipline. In February, Reference and Instruction Librarian Ryan Shepard facilitated a five-day workshop for Legal Studies faculty that provided an overview of the library's resources and services, emphasizing those germane to LGST students and faculty. The workshop also addressed the basic concepts of information literacy, and ways librarians and faculty members can collaborate to design assignments that include these concepts, thereby assisting students in meeting the University's information literacy learning objectives.
Business
Reference and Instruction Librarian Ed O'Donnell will facilitate a workshop for faculty in the Department of Business and Professional Programs. The workshop will feature library resources especially helpful for business and management faculty and students. The influence faculty have over their students is invaluable. By becoming more familiar with the resources the library offers, the faculty can then pass this knowledge on to their students, enabling them to become better researchers and excel in their classes.
Information and Library Services provides library liaison services to UMUC faculty. We welcome the opportunity to work closely with faculty to provide tailored library services to individual classes, whether it be visiting your online or face-to-face class, assisting in adding information literacy components to specific course assignments or projects, or providing handouts or online resources customized to your discipline or current course topic. Keep the liaison librarians in mind when you have library related questions, need extra help with research, or need instruction on how to use our resources.
GSMT
-
Julie Arnold
GSMT: Information and Technology Systems, Teacher Education -
Cynthia Thomes
GSMT: Business and Executive Programs; Management, Accounting, and Finance
SUS
-
Robert Miller
SUS: Department of Social, Behavioral, Natural, and Mathematical Sciences (SCIP) -
Ed O'Donnell
SUS: Department of Business and Professional Programs (BUSN) -
Ryan Shepard
SUS: Department of Computer Information Systems and Technology (CITE); areas that were formerly Department of Professional Practice: Criminal Justice, Fire Science, Legal Studies (Note: These are now under BUSN, but Ryan Shepard still covers them.)
In addition, Elizabeth Mulherrin, SUS Academic Director, LIBS150, is liaison to Department of Communication, Arts, and Humanities (COMM)
As the Summer 2008 semester begins, Information and Library Services librarians look forward to working with you and your classes, either on-site or via Web Tycho, in the provision of library resources instruction. The transferable skill building and concept understanding that librarians offer in these sessions provide both a deeper comprehension and comfort level for your students in locating, evaluating, and using information relevant to their studies. This preparation and reinforcement will hold your students in good stead as they deal with the vast amount of available information during their academic careers and as productive employees and citizens. Please complete the Faculty Request for Library Instruction form to schedule one or more sessions for your classes.
Questions? Comments? Need more information? Please contact Barb Mann, Assistant Director for Public Services, or Information and Library Services.
We look forward to working with you!
ILS Hours and Locations
Need to find us? Please visit Locations and Hours for more information.
McKeldin Library Office Hours
Research continues to be available to UMUC students, faculty, and staff in the ILS office in McKeldin Library, Room 6259 during the following hours:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 8 p.m.
Appointments
An appointment may be made to meet with an ILS librarian in the ILS library at the Student Faculty Services Center, at McKeldin library, or at the Dorsey Station library at other times using our Request an Appointment form.