Colgate University Libraries News and Events

Studious students will continue to study while off campus during the Thanksgiving break. A common question about this time is “can I / how do I access library resources when I’m off campus?” Here are some answers:
 
Books
 
You can search catalogs (Colgate’s, ConnectNY, WorldCat) from off campus. You can continue to request materials from ConnectNY and WorldCat (via MyLoan) as well. You can also request materials to be retrieved from LASR. Loaned and retrieved materials will be held for pick-up at the Case-Geyer circulation desk for a limited time after the break.
 
Journal Indexes, Databases and Articles
 
Off campus access to journal indexes, databases and articles is dependent on the resource’s vendor policy. Information regarding resource availability from off campus is found on resource launch pages that are linked to from the libraries’ Databases A–Z page. The statement “Remote Access Allowed” is on every launch page, and is usually followed by “Yes” or “No”. If remote access is allowed, a login page will appear when you click on the link-button that states “Connect to: some resource.” At that point you enter your network credentials, and a connection should be made. Details about proxy access to library resources are on the “connect from off campus” page.
Happy Thanksgiving!

The end of the semester is in the headlights.  Thanksgiving break is around the corner, and where are you at with your term paper projects?

Haven’t started? Oh No!

Don’t panic, we can help, in a number of ways.

Assignment Calculator

Initially, you can plan your research activities using the Assignment Calculator.  Use this tool to enter the start date for your research project (TODAY,) and its due date to create a schedule of tasks necessary to complete your project.  The resulting schedule suggests how much time to allot each task, and provides links to information resources that explain the task.

Ask A Librarian

Secondly, contact a reference librarian.  They are here to help you in a variety of ways; discussing your research interests, assisting you to articulate your project, finding vocabulary to define your project, and finding resources that are germane to your research.  You can contact a librarian in a variety of ways.  Don’t be shy, they are truly interested in facilitating your learning.

RefWorks

Lastly, use RefWorks to collect, organize and expound your research.  If you are unfamiliar with this bibliographic management tool, contact a librarian, and they can show you how to use it in thirty to forty-five minutes.
 

Welcome to the Colgate University Library.  We provide a comfortable environment for study, research, collaborative work, and even coffee and relaxation.  Our mission is to assist you in getting connected to research and technology help, in your discovery of useful scholarly resources, and in the creative expression of your own ideas.     

To get started, here are my top ten survival tips.

Best wishes,

Joanne A. Schneider
University Librarian

1.  Get to know your reference librarians. 

     They offer expert advice on the best resources for your assignments and research.  Stop by the Reference Desk on the main floor of Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology, make an appointment for a one-on-one research consultation, or contact them by email or chat.  Budding scientists also can ask for help at the Service Desk in Cooley Science Library, McGregory Hall.

2.  Bring your laptop to the library and connect quickly to the new campus wireless network called ‘ColgateStudents.’ 

     ITS has upgraded the wireless network over the summer.  See how fast it is.  Check out http://wireless.colgate.edu to find how to best configure your laptop and, remember, calling x7111 will connect you to the ITS HelpLine. 

3.  Or, use the computers in the libraries.

     The two libraries provide you with over 140 computers for your use.  They include both PCs and Macintoshes and some have specialized software for editing audio and video or to help students with disabilities. 

4.  Read a good book.

     Or ebook.  Or enjoy a CD or DVD by simply requesting them from LASR (Library Automated Storage and Retrieval system) through the Encore online catalog. 

5.  Find a quiet place.

     Levels two and four in Case Library are ‘quiet zones’ with many study carrels and tables.  Cooley Science Library provides space that is quiet and cozy. 

6.  Keep up to speed on new assignments.

     Locate materials for your courses placed on reserve by your professors at http://library.colgate.edu/search/r.   Also, check out the Libraries’ ‘Information for Students’ web page to find information on using the library catalog, check out class and subject guides, request materials from other libraries, and get many of your questions about the library answered. 

7.  Get organized!

      The Assignment Calculator will help you create a timeline for successfully completing your work on time.  Another online resource, RefWorks, will help you build your own database of references for creating a bibliography when writing a research paper.

8.  Connect from your dorm room.

     Connect to library databases from anywhere on campus.  Find out how to connect from off campus.   

9.  Test your ‘information literacy’ skills.

        Get ahead of the crowd by using the Searchpath online tool to help you learn how to best find and critically evaluate information sources. 

10. Check out the group studies for collaborative work.

         Case-Geyer has ten group studies, some outfitted as digital viewing & listening rooms, available as on-demand reserved spaces with information available at http://exlibris.colgate.edu/about/facilities.html.   

The sun is coming out. The ambient temperature outdoors is rising. Is that music I hear? I can start my paper tomorrow…
 Recently researchers at University of Washington's Information School investigated undergraduate students’ research behaviors and learned something that is usually treated as common knowledge. Students procrastinate. Specifically, their study found that “a large majority of students reported spending three hours on research and another two hours on writing—one or two days before a 5-7 page course-related research paper was due.” (1)
 The librarians at Colgate would like to help you avoid passively joining this crowd. The following services and resources are now available in addition to regular reference assistance at both libraries.
 A. Augmented research assistance.
 Reference librarians are poised to offer in-depth and extended research assistance through personal appointments. You can make arrangements via a web form:
 http://exlibris.colgate.edu/about/write/mailto_appointment.html
 and use a variety of other means for getting assistance:
 http://exlibris.colgate.edu/services/reference.html
 B. The Assignment Calculator
 The Assignment Calculator is a tool for organizing and scheduling the work flow involved in doing a research project. It is found at:
 http://libscoolsv01.colgate.edu/assncalc/
 C. RefWorks Workshops
 The workshop provides instruction in managing and using information for research papers using the citation management resources of RefWorks. You can also discuss your project with a librarian at that time. The workshops will be held:

• Thursday, 16 April, 3:30-5PM, Case-Geyer 501 (Cronin Lab)
• Monday, 20 April, 3:30-5PM, Case-Geyer 501 (Cronin Lab)

These are drop-in sessions. You are invited to come anytime before 4:30PM.  In addition, you are encouraged to make personal appointment using the means listed above.
 So, nose to the grind-stone. The weather will be warmer and music louder and much more enjoyable when the work is finished.
------------------------------
1. Head, A.J., Eisenberg, M.B. “Finding Context: What Today’s College Students Say about Conducting Research in the Digital Age.” Project Information Literacy Progress Report February 2009. p.7.<Accessed from http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_ProgressReport_2_2009.pdf on 8 April, 2009>

The Assignment Calculator is a tool that helps one to schedule the numerous steps (13 steps here, of course ;^) needed to start and complete a research project.  In addition there are links to numerous resources that explain and provide informational support for each of the steps.

The Assignment Calculator is a means to avoid procrastination and research overload.  Use the calculator as soon as you know when a research paper is due, and there will be ample time for completing the entire research process with less stress and more opportunity to produce better research.

Like fresh vegetables, however, if you leave the Assignment Calculator unused in the near term, its utility wanes and becomes less and less helpful.

So take a look, try it out.   The only thing you have to loose is research time.
 

Since the financial bailout is on everyone’s mind, I wanted to pass on tips from LexisNexis on how to use LexisNexis Congressional to find relevant information.
 
"The text of the Senate passed bill H.R. 1424 is available and may be accessed by searching for bill text using the Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws Get a Document form. Select the bill tracking option to access relevant Congressional Record abstracts. Relevant Congressional Record excerpts may also be accessed by using the Daily Congressional Record & Rules form to retrieve content for Oct. 1, and then narrowing your search to H.R. 1424 using the FOCUS™ Search feature.
 
Congressional Record excerpts which include debate and text of the substitute amendment to H.R. 3997 which failed in the House on Sept. 29, 2008, may be accessed by using the Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws Get a Document form to search for the bill. The text of the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3997 is included in the House Rules Committee Report 110-903, which may be accessed by searching on the publication number using the Search by Number form, and then clicking on the hyperlinked House report number in the results record to the full text."
 
Much of this info is also available at Thomas, but I had better luck searching by the law's short title: EMERGENCY ECONOMIC STABILIZATION ACT OF 2008. The bill and Congressional debate area also available at GPO Access.
"Happy" reading.

For those of you who use Firefox as your browser of choice, here are a few add-ons that you might consider implementing to aid your browsing and online research.
 
Read it later
Use Read It Later to mark places online that you want to come back to, but for more of a one time use. In other words, you don't need to bookmark the page and save it for all time but you do want a reminder to come back and finish examining something on the page. I like to think of it as dogearing instead of bookmarking (not that I condone that sort of behavior).
 
Find In Tabs
Find In Tabs searches across the content on all of your open tabs for your search terms. If you tend to open many tabs and lose track of what is where along the way, then you might find this add-on useful to quickly track down what you need out of all your open tabs.
 
Surf Canyon
Be thorough and extend your search with Surf Canyon. This add-on will perform searches across several additional search engines (beyond the ubiquitous Google), just click on the bull's eye icon on the Google search results screen to see additional results.
 
This post at the Res Ipsa Blog lists these plus several other helpful add-ons that you might want to consider installing.

So, here we are, 1 week after the final leg of this election's run for the White House has begun. Has this campaign gone on forever, or is it just me? So, what are you doing to following election? Do you have favorite websites, newspapers, blogs? You can find links to some of mine at:
http://exlibris.colgate.edu/help/guides/election2008.html
It includes the new CQ Press "Political Bedfellows widget, which uses voting data to compare stands on issues for any 2 representatives, including, of course, Obama and McCain. Check it out and send me your suggestions for additions to the webpage.
 

Colgate Faculty and students can now borrow material from the Center for Research Libraries (3 month loan). The holdings of the CRL can be found within the ConnectNY catalog and this is how you can limit your search to find that material.
Go to the ConnectNY catalog
Choose "keyword search"Type in your keyword
choose location: crl

Determining whether or not a work is under copyright can sometimes be a complex process, here's a tool developed by the ALA (American Library Association) that you might find useful when you find yourself in a copyright conundrum.