The Inside Cover

 

SCD and Online Student Edition

 

october 2007

Volume 1, Number 2

"Knowledge is free at the library. Just bring your own container."

Tracy Paradis, Librarian at State University of New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chills and thrills @ your library

 

Autumn has finally arrived and so has the second SCD and Online student edition of the library’s monthly newsletter. (We know you’ve been waiting.)

 

There are no tricks at the library, only treats, including new tools, services, and contests just for SCD and Online students.

 

As always, feel free to call or email us with questions and suggestions. We want to hear from you!!!

 

--The Library Staff

 

 

Free people read freely

 

If you haven’t already entered our banned book contest, stop by the library to check out our display and enter to win big!!!  Ok, we’re not the lottery so maybe not big, but at least something the library can afford. Enter the contest by writing down your favorite book on the Top 100 most challenged and banned books list. Polls close Friday, October 5 at 5:00 p.m.

 

For all SCD and Online students, in case you cannot get to the library, we will email the list of challenged and banned books. Email us back with your name, phone, and favorite book title on the list, and we will enter you in the drawing.

 

Remember, the First Amendment protects your right to read both the Classics and smut (but you’ll find only the former here at the library).

 

 

Milton Tutorial

 

Lost in a fog?  Wondering with no destination? At the end of the road?  The Reference Librarian created an interactive web-based library instruction tutorial to help you get on track.

 

MILTON (Midway Information Literacy Tutorial Online) is an interactive tutorial that contains all the great information you’d hear from a librarian in a library instruction session, only more—probably better looking than her too.

 

To get there, go to the library’s homepage http://eagles.midway.edu/library and click on MILTON. Topics covered:

 

  1. Thinking about sources and research
  2. Developing a topic
  3. Differentiating types of publications (magazines, peer-reviewed journals, trade publications)
  4. Searching for and locating articles
  5. Searching for and evaluating websites
  6. Finding books
  7. Avoiding plagiarism and citing sources

 

 

Want to stand out from the crowd?

 

Your instructors have no doubt read hundreds of research papers on abortion, school prayer, teenage pregnancy, gun control and all those other boring topics people always write about.

 

Let your instructor read something new and original. The Reference Librarian created a 4-page list of unique and interesting topics just for you. If you need an idea for a research paper, email Sarah at skaip@midway.edu to get a copy of suggested paper topics or stop by the reference desk at the library.

 

Don’t forget that the librarian will also help you research that topic.

 

 

Overdue Witches Brew!

 

It’s chills and thrills @ your library on Halloween Day. The library staff will serve up a chilling drink that is sure to put the thrill in your studying drill. If you’re on campus October 31 stop by for one of the librarian’s secret drink concoctions:

 

  1.  Overdue Witches Brew

  2. Death cross-reference

  3. Black Stacks

  4. Nocturnal Journal

  5. Ghost of Ebscohost

  6. Archival Survival

  7. Dewey Devil System

 

Attention Business Majors

 

The librarian recently attended a workshop on business resources on the Internet. That means 67 new business websites are added to the library’s webliography (organized by category with an annotation for each). If you’re doing research, you’ll want to go here: http://eagles.midway.edu/library/BusinessSG.htm.

 

 

 

Do you suffer from Information Deficiency?

 

There is no vitamin supplement for this, but the Reference Librarian may have the cure. She is offering a new service for students to make it easier to do research. On the reference desk is a schedule. Students may sign up for half hour appointments with the friendly reference librarian for one-on-one assistance with an assignment.

 

SCD and Online students can call or email the librarian for in-person assistance or an appointment conducted over the phone. You do not have to have an appointment for help. An appointment simply assures that she is on duty.

 

What the librarian will do:

·        discuss the assignment

·        help you develop a topic

·        help you plan a search strategy

·        recommend resources

·        discuss the best strategies for conducting research

 

What she will NOT do:

·        interpret what your instructor wants you to do

·        do your research for you 

·        help you write your paper

 

Be prepared to talk with the librarian. She will want to know:

·        what your assignment is (bring any instructions or class handouts)

·        what kinds of sources you are supposed to use (if specified by your instructor)

·        idea of what you want to write about (unless the instructor has assigned the topic)

 

 

A small fish swimming in a big pond

 

Students who live near campus (students who live far away, see below):  The library may be small, but we have access to nearly every publication in print. A bibliography devoid of books is a sad sight to see.

 

If you start your research early enough (that would be more than 3 weeks before your project is due), you can search WorldCat—a combined catalog of books from nearly every public and academic library in the country. You can then order any book through Interlibrary Loan. That’s why it’s important to start early—ILL takes about 2 weeks, sometimes longer.

 

Here’s how to get to WorldCat and how to order books through it:

 

  1. Go to the library’s homepage http://eagles.midway.edu/library
  2. Click on FirstSearch in the middle of the screen. If you are off campus, call the library for the username and password.
  3. From the drop down menu, select WorldCat.
  4. Then search.
  5. When you get your results, look for the blue book icon next to each. The catalog also contains videos, CDs, electronic books, etc…
  6. Once you find an item you want, you can order it by clicking on the ILL button in the gray bar.
  7. Fill in contact info and the citation will be emailed to Carrie.

 

 

Students who live far away from campus (applies to near campus too): We can mail articles to students who live far away but not books. So, a better resource for you would be NetLibrary, a database with the full text to more than 145,000 books. To use it, call us to set up an account (it takes fewer than 3 minutes). Once an account is set up, you can access it from any computer with Internet connection. To learn more about NetLibrary, go to the library’s homepage and click on “Electronic Databases.”

 

For questions or help with WorldCat or NetLibrary, call Sarah, Carrie, or Cathy at 859-846-5316.

 

 

Plagiarism

 

Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas without citing the source and presenting them as your own, either knowingly or "accidentally."

 

If you’re confused about what to cite and what not to cite, the information below will help.

 

What to cite

 

  • Any words or ideas you read in a magazine, journal, newspaper, book, web page, letter, advertisement, government document, or other printed material that is not common knowledge.
  • Any new information you gain through conversations or interviews via phone, email, chatting, or face-to-face.
  • Any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual material you use that was created by anyone other than yourself.

 

What not to cite

 

  • Your own life experiences, observations, and insights.
  • Your own results from labs, personal studies, or field experiments.
  • Your own artwork, digital photographs, video and audio.
  • Common knowledge—well-known facts such as “July 4th is Independence Day.” Also, no need to cite generally accepted ideas, such as “Disneyland is a child’s dream come true” or “Teenage pregnancy is a serious problem in the U.S.”

 

If you’d like a more comprehensive guide to avoiding plagiarism, which includes examples on how to paraphrase and summarize, email skaip@midway.edu.

 

 

Cell phones in the library

 

Are you getting mean looks from students at the library? Libraries aren’t the stuffy places they used to be, but people still want to work quietly. Please be respectful with cell phones by taking them outside when you receive or make a call. Your fellow students thank you.

 

 

Essential information

 

Main library number                          859-846-5316

 

Cathy Reilender, Director                859-846-5315

creilender@midway.edu

 

Sarah Kaip, Ref. Librarian               859-849-5744

skaip@midway.edu

 

Carrie Lewis, Circ. Supervisor        859-846-5839

clewis@midway.edu

 

Hours (hours vary on academic breaks, summer, and holidays)

 

Mon-Thurs        7:45 am to 11:00 pm

Friday                7:45 am to 6:00 pm

Saturday            11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Sunday              1:00 pm to 10:00 pm

 

Library homepage: http://eagles.midway.edu/library

 

 

 

Thanks for reading, and never fear, November’s news is near.