Embedded Librarians Want To Collaborate with You in Fall 2011!

The on-going Embedded Librarian Program is entering its 6th semester. It is an online solution to improving students’ research assignment outcomes. Last spring 2011, 15 instructors teaching 32 sections to more than 630 students in 100 to 400 level courses in ATH, BIS, CHM, CSE, ENG, HST, MUS, NSG, and PSY collaborated with an embedded librarian.

Would you like the Gardner-Harvey Library to deliver information literacy resources and skills to your Niihka course(s) to strengthen your students’ course-related research efforts?

Email Beth Tumbleson (tumbleb@muohio.edu) if interested. Preferably before August 8, 2011!

Name:

Course(s):

Description of Research Assignment(s):

This starts a conversation that leads to your embedded librarian designing customized content within your Niihka courses to the extent you designate:

· with a start-up research guide

· assistance during the research project period

· research service throughout the semester

We are prepared to:

· explain the research process in plain English

· identify tools to simplify tasks such as managing time, narrowing topics, identifying search terms, citing sources

· suggest a few relevant research databases from among the hundreds Miami University Libraries offers

· save you time. How? As publishers continue to upgrade their electronic resources’ content and interfaces, librarians stay current by attending webinars and reading the professional literature. Then you may focus on developments in your discipline.

Whether you teach online, hybrid, or traditional courses – lower or upper division courses, consider requesting the embedded librarian service for your students this Fall 2011.

Embedded librarians are already building content in Niihka, creating screencasts, and building subject specific LibGuides for the LMS.

GHL Closing at 6pm

The library will change its evening closing hour (Monday through Thursday) to 6:00pm. We will continue to open at 8:00am from Monday through Friday, and to close at 5:00pm on Friday.

The new hours will start on July 5th and last through August 5th, when the library begins its Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm schedule prior to the start of classes.

Summer Pages

At Miami University Summer 2011 is a time for thinking and tinkering.

Technology is the steamroller that moves us to change, painful as it may be. Yes there is help to be had, but there is also the need to own up to the job of overhauling your Blackboard course content into the new, improved Niihka. Of course you can do this! You are bold and brave and persevering!

Then there's the thinking part. This is code for reading. Summer's pace slows and there is time to sit, read, and reflect deeply. This launches tinkering with course content as well as new conversations and commitments.

What's on your book shelf? Here are a few titles on mine.

Okay for Now. Gary D. Schmidt is an English Professor, Newberry Honor winning author, and observer of the human condition, especially in classroom settings. In this 2011 novel, 8th grader Doug is dealing with cruel forces and creative, caring individuals. Why did you become an educator? Read and remember the transformative pain. Yes YA literature matters. Schmidt mixes humor, art (James Audubon) and literature (public libraries) into small town life in upstate New York during the sixties.

Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. Karen Armstrong is a big picture person who writes about the place world religions and spiritual practices have held in our lives throughout the centuries. Beliefs drive behavior. So how do you get close to people in your world or classroom who are so very different from yourself? Compassion.

The Heart of Higher Education a Call to Renewal: Transforming the Academy through Collegial Conversation. Parker J. Palmer & Arthur Zajonc believe in the value of experiential learning, lingering conversations, and crossing boundaries in the university. When spirituality matters to so many undergraduates, how can academics address such issues of meaning, purpose, and value within their disciplines? Academics who connect with the inner life over and above facts and information, shape lives and motivate students to stay the course and create solutions.

Citation Help

Confused on how to use parenthetical references or how to create a Works Cited page? Are you unsure what the difference is between MLA and APA styles? The library can help. Check out our new and improved Citing Sources page. With a comparison chart for finding the best citation tool to suit your needs, useful how-to guides, and links to citing sources in different databases, it is a one stop shop for all your citation needs.

Memorial Day

The library will be closed on Monday, May 30th for Memorial Day. We hope everyone has a safe holiday!

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Allison Singhoffer for winning the Gardner-Harvey Library Mural Painting Competition. Allison is a graduate of Miami University and has previous experience designing and painting murals. Keep your eyes open for her finished work this summer.

Race to Nowhere screening

Gardner-Harvey Library is sponsoring a screening of the documentary "Race to Nowhere" on Tuesday, April 26th from 4:30-6:30 PM in Johnston Hall Rm 115. Admission is free and open to faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the general public. You are also invited to stay after the film has finished to have an open discussion about the state of education today.

Short Synopsis of the film:
A concerned mother turned filmmaker aims her camera at the high-stakes, high-pressure culture that has invaded our schools and our children’s lives.

This remarkable new film shines a light on the price young people pay for this “race to nowhere.” High-stakes testing has replaced meaningful teaching and learning.

Cheating is commonplace. Stress-related
illness, depression and burnout are rampant. Many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

For more information about the film, please check out www.racetonowhere.com

New materials added in March and April

The March and April (through April 19) new materials list is now available. We added 222 books, DVDs, and other items over those months, thanks to the impressive efforts of our faculty and staff selectors and the library staff. The list is sorted by call number, with items grouped roughly by subject area.

We’ve added a total of 914 items to the collection in this academic year. We're still waiting on a number of items to arrive, and completing a large number of orders as well. We'll keep posting new item lists through the end of the fiscal year on our blog (this tag will show you all of the prior lists).

Have a suggestion of something to order? Use our online request form, email one of our staff members or drop by the library with your request. While our deadline for ordering this year is already past, we usually have some unspent funds available over the next month to buy a few more items right away (and failing that, we will start ordering again on July 1).

Thanks again for keeping our collection vibrant and your information needs met!

John

Research-a-palooza

Do you have a research paper or final project due soon? Are you confused as to where to find resources for your paper, how to narrow down your topic, or even what to write about? Stop by the library from noon - 2 pm on Tuesday, April 12th or Wednesday, April 13th and participate in our Research-a-palooza. You can get personalized help from one of our three knowledgeable librarians. Individuals and groups are welcome to stop by for help with quick questions or detailed consultations.

Unable to make it on Tuesday or Wednesday? Never fear! You can request a research consultation to meet with one of our librarians anytime from 8 am – 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Simply fill out the request form.

United States Manual Goes Online

The United States Government Manual is an annual federal government directory filled with current office holders, descriptions of agencies, and more.

When you want to know who is currently holding office or in charge of programs of interest to you, you may now consult the online version instantly, rather than running to the print reference collection @ your library.

Every citizen plays a part in our democratic society; check out this long-standing government document.

Limited Access to Some Collections

The Good News: From April 8 through August 8, 2011 Miami University's Science Library as well as the Business and Psychology Collections currently housed in King Library will move into a newly renovated facility.

Bad News: Monographs and serials in these collections will not be available for circulation during these months. Specific call numbers affected include:

King Library: BF1-1156 , and HB-HJ

Science Library: G69-GE , all Q’s, all R’s, all S’s, all T’s

Workarounds: Use eBooks, Research Databases, OhioLINK, or Local Libraries.

Mural Painting Competition Reminder

The deadline for entries for the Gardner-Harvey Library Mural Painting competition is fast approaching. Don't miss out on your chance to leave your mark on the university. The competition is open to all Miami University Middletown students, faculty and staff. Participants have the option of submitting an individual or group design.

Artwork will be judged based on color scheme, design, originality, and ability to express a theme associated with libraries or Miami University Middletown.

All submissions must be returned to the Info Desk in the Gardner-Harvey Library or e-mailed to longjh@muohio.edu by April 1, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. The winner will be notified by email no later than Friday, April 8, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.

Rules and entry forms may be downloaded or found at the Gardner-Harvey Library Info Desk.


*Please note that by entering the contest, you certify that your design is original and does not infringe on copyright laws.

Resource of the Week: IMC

Did you know that the Gardner-Harvey Library has both educational DVDs and Videos as well as popular movies? Our IMC collection offers a range of ever growing titles. Go ahead and take a look and see what we have to offer.

Terrace Repair

Please excuse the noise and the dust. Our terrace is being replaced and there will be a few days filled with construction noise. We appreciate your patience as we work to have our terrace repaired as quickly as possible. In the mean time, we do have ear plugs available at the Info Desk to help block out the noise.

Resource of the Week: Ancestry.com

In honor of Genealogy Day, which fell on Saturday, March 12th, this week we highlight one of our regional databases, Ancestry Library Edition. This database includes a collection of billions of genealogy records in the form of census data, vital records, directories, photographs and more. Go ahead, check out your family heritage.

Library service outage - 5pm March 9 to 5am March 10

Due to an electrical outage at King Library in Oxford, all library servers will be unavailable from 5pm on Wednesday, March 9 through 5am on Thursday, March 10. This will impact your use of the MU library catalog, and your access to all library databases through our Miami subscriptions.

However, you may still search and order materials from the OhioLINK Central Catalog or search databases available through OhioLINK (using your Miami UniqueID and password to login).

We look forward to serving your information needs more fully following the outage. Thank you for your patience!

New materials added in January and February

The January and February new materials list is now available. We added 288 books, DVDs, and other items over those months, thanks to the impressive efforts of our faculty and staff selectors and the library staff.

Have a suggestion of something to order? Use our online request form, email one of our staff members or drop by the library with your request.

Our deadline for ordering this year is coming up on April 1, 2011 (no fooling!).

Thanks!

John

Resource of the Week: OhioLINK

Looking for a book that is not part of Miami University Libraries' collection? Don't get discouraged, try OhioLINK. OhioLINK is a consortium of the libraries of 88 Ohio colleges and universities, and the State Library of Ohio. Search the millions of books in the OhioLINK catalog, find the book you are looking for and request a copy be sent to you here at Middletown. We will e-mail you when your book is available to pick up.

RefWorks will be gone, but easy bibliographies live on!

You may have already heard that RefWorks will be discontinued at Miami on June 30. This tool for gathering and citing sources does have a variety of possible replacements that can be used as a new home for your RefWorks citations or a fresh start for you to collect citations. Three possibilities provided by University Libraries are pasted below:

EndNote Web:  The program that is most similar to Refworks in functionality. Can import citation information directly from select databases, create a bibliography and format a paper.

Zotero: A [Firefox] browser plug-in with web accessibility. Offers ability to organize items via tags and folders, take notes, and share libraries with collaborators.

Mendeley: Features similar to Zotero but with a social aspect - connect to others with shared research interests via the web version. Also offers a mobile app.

A handout to help you move your citations from RefWorks to these services is available here.

If you have other questions about citing sources, you may wish to consult the resources on our Citing Your Sources page, or contact us directly.

Resource of the Week: Biography in Context

In honor of Presidents' Day, this week's Resource of the Week is Biography in Context. This database contains full-text articles with biographical information on people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. A perfect database when looking for information on any of our past Presidents.