The Inside Cover

Student Edition

October 2007

Volume 1, Number 2

Chills and thrills @ your library

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

There are no tricks at the library, only treats, including contests and events where you could win money and prizes!! 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 checked out our banned book display, be sure to do so because you could 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.

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).

Head’s up – Halloween Scavenger Hunt

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. Stop by on October 31 for one of the librarian’s secret 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

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, stop by the library to pick up a copy of the list.

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

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. You do not have to have an appointment for assistance. The appointment simply ensures uninterrupted help.

What she will do:

·        sit down with you in her office to discuss the assignment

·        help you develop a topic

·        help you plan a search strategy

·        recommend resources

·        show you how to conduct research

What she will NOT do:

·        interpret what your instructor wants you to do

·        do your research for you

·        help you write your paper

·        proofread papers

Come prepared to talk with the librarian. She will need to know:

·        what your assignment is (bring any handouts from your instructor)

·        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)

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.

(Can equine majors think of a famous horse named Milton? See the tutorial to find out.) 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

Interlibrary Loan

Did you know that we can order any article or book through interlibrary loan? If our library does not have something you need, we will order it for you from another library. We have access to books and articles from nearly every public and academic library in the country.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN TAKES ABOUT TWO WEEKS so if you do not have that much time before your paper is due, do NOT request ILL service. Students who do not pick up materials will have ILL privileges suspended.

ILL is usually free. However, sometimes libraries will charge Midway College, in which case you will be asked if you want to pay the cost or cancel the request. For more information, email Carrie at clewis@midway.edu .

A small fish swimming in a big pond

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. Instead of telling your instructor, “The library doesn’t have any books on my topic,” tell him or her, “I found a load of books searching WorldCat.” They’ll be impressed!

If you start your research early enough (that would be at least 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 (ILL). 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 the citations. Some will have a video, CD, or electronic book icon.
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 our interlibrary loan person.

For questions or help with WorldCat, call Sarah, Carrie, or Cathy.

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 4^th 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 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.