Database Trial: Credo - Reference ebooks

After grading or taking that last final, now you can relax and tool around CredoReference*, a database of encyclopedias, handbooks, and other reference materials. For the next few weeks the library is testing this resource to see if it meets the needs of the campus, please let us know what you think.

*contact us at reference@northern.edu if you want off campus access.

Control your stress: Mayo Clinic tips

During finals and the holiday season it is easy to let stress get the better of you, and here is a link to brief articles on stress and ideas for controlling it from Mayo Clinic.

Stress management from Mayo Clinic

Finals Week Survival Tips

Below are two finals week survival guides from the University of Pennsylvania and University of California-Riverside. Select the links to get the full descriptions of each point.

• Ten Tips for Surviving Finals Week from UPenn
  1. Don’t panic (make too much of the final).
  2. Don’t be too relaxed (make too little of the final).
  3. Make time for "renewing" activities.
  4. Use an effective study method.
  5. Get enough sleep.
  6. Resist the urge to party on "off" days.
  7. Arrive on time for the exam.
  8. Follow the rules of good exam taking.
  9. Don’t worry about others finishing earlier than you.
  10. When the exam is over, let it go!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

• 13 tips from UC-Riverside
  1. Start early.
  2. Sleep. You need at least four hours of sleep a night to function.
  3. Determine what type of final (comprehensive/non-comprehensive)
  4. Focus on your notes.
  5. Hide. Study in an out-of-the-way place.
  6. Don't chase an old test.
  7. Stop cramming five minutes before the test.
  8. Read all of the directions carefully.
  9. Stay calm during the exam.
  10. Ask questions if allowed.
  11. Stay for the entire session.
  12. Remain calm after the exam.
  13. Study your favorite subject last and the one you dread first.
  

Living Stories: NYTimes, WashPost, and Google

Two major US. Newspapers, the New York Times and the Washington Post, have teamed up with Google to create Living Stories. This pilot site focuses on presenting news specifically online.

You can navigate between news articles, opinion pieces and features. Each story has an evolving summary of current developments as a well as an interactive timeline of critical events. Stories can be explored by themes, significant participants or multimedia.

The site will focus on six national developing stories (and two local DC stories):

• Washington Tackles Health Care Reform (WashPo)
• Politics of global Warming (NYTimes)
• Struggle Over Health Care Reform (NYTimes)
• War in Afghanistan (NYTimes)
• Executive Compensation: How Much to Pay? (NYTimes)
  
• Battling Swine Flu (NYTimes)
  

Extended Hours at the Library

The library is extending its hours for this and next week. The hours are...

Sunday Dec 6: 1pm to 12am
Monday - Thursday Dec 7-10: 7:30am to 12am.
Friday Dec 11: 7:30 to 5pm
Saturday Dec 12: 10am to 5pm
Sunday Dec 13: 1pm to 12am
Monday - Thursday Dec 14-17: 7:30am to 12am.

New Book lists updated

Check the New Book lists to see which titles the library has added to the collection in the last month. The link is also on the left side of the library homepage.

Does the Internet weigh over 1 trillion pounds?

According to Crave at cnet.uk, if you add up the weight of the computers, peripherals, cables, servers, etc. the Internet weights about 1,098,868,920,000 pounds. Other people have pointed out this does not include many handheld devices, and the physical building structures that houses the main servers, etc. All this weight for a paperless society?

New Library Mobile site

The Williams Library has created a mobile site which is accessible from various mobile devices (e.g. smart phone, iPod Touch). The site includes basic information about the library and access to mobile search interfaces for EBSCO databases (e.g. Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete) and Worldcat.

The mobile site link is on the left side of the library homepage.

Just one more access point to quality information and service.

Database highlight: SportDiscus w/full-text

SPORTDiscus with Full Text is a comprehensive source of full text sports & sports medicine journals. It provides full text for more than 490 journals indexed in SportDiscus. This authoritative file contains full text for many of the most used journals in the SportDiscus index - with no embargo. With full-text coverage dating back to 1985, the database is a definitive research tool for all areas of sports & sports medicine literature.

Unfriend: OED's Word of the Year

Oxford English Dictionary - Word of the Year

unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site. As in, “I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.”

“It has both currency and potential longevity,” notes Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program. (read more...)

Though the OED cites the first usage of the term being used in 1659 - "I hope, Sir, that we are not mutually Unfriended by this Difference which hath happened betwixt us."

Database Hightlight: Historical Maps of SD towns

Sanborn Maps Online - SD
This database includes maps dated from 1884 to 1970 for many towns in South Dakota. The maps provide a wealth of information about buildings – size, dimensions, building materials used, function, and location of windows and doors. They were updated yearly, so a review of maps from several years can provide a good idea of when and what changes were made to a building.

Earn a $5 Java City gift certificate

The Williams Library is doing a “photo survey” and would like you (the students) to take pictures of your world in order to help the library better understand what you need as students and how the library can help you succeed.

There are 2 options:

1. You can use your own digital device (cell, camera, etc.) OR
2. The library will have disposable cameras for you to use.

• Besides taking pictures, you will complete a short form (to keep track of the pictures) and do a brief, in-person follow up session once all materials (photos and form) are turned in. The librarians will set up times.

If you partake in the survey, you earn a $5 gift certificate to Java City for coffee or snacks.

Please contact Jonna Underwood for information and instructions.

Jonna.Underwood@northern.edu
Phone: 626-2645
Office: Library #126

CiteMe - Facebook app for book citations

CiteMe is a Facebook application from WorldCat that formats book citations. Search for the title of book you want to cite, select the appropriate record, and get the citation.
NOTE: Not all citation are correct, so please check the citation against a citation style handbook.

Internet is 40 years old

Last week the Internet turned 40.   News and history about the birthday...

• CNN interviewed one of the founders, Leonard Klinerock
• NPR Looks back
• History of the Internet
• Overview of the Internet from WorldBook

Databases highlight: Naxos Music and Sheet Music

The Williams Library has two music databases, mainly for music faculty and students.

• Naxos Music Library (Limited to 5 simultaneous users)
  This database allows access to over 75,000 audio files in the areas of classical, jazz, opera, world, and new age music. Music included in this resource is provided in the streaming audio format, and can be used from on or off campus.
  
  
• Naxos Sheet Music
  This database offers over 45,000 sheet music titles, powered by the largest online digital sheet music store, FreeHandMusic.com. The library service delivers digital sheet music in all classical genres, spanning music from Medieval to the 21st century and composers from Bach to Arvo Part. You can download the sheet music and even play (computer-generated sound) many of the scores.
  
  • NOTE: To use database download the FreeHand Solero viewer
  • NOTE: Video demos for using NSM

Is your Facebook profile private as you think?

"Social network users assume a degree of privacy within their circle of friends — but it's not a safe assumption to make... A social network account can be seen by the company that runs the service, of course, but there's also the possibility of third-party snooping." read more at NPR.org

Library BOOook Fun Run/Walk - Oct 31

Join the libraries at NSU and Presentation College, and the Alexander Mitchell Public Library on this Halloween costume fun run. Wear your costume for either of these events:

• 1 mile family walk/run - NSU Library to the Public Library
• 5k run - NSU Library to PC

Details

• When: Saturday, October 31
• Time: 3pm
• Registration: 2-3pm
• Pre-registration form
• Location: Williams Library, NSU campus
• Fee: $15 individual, $20 family
  

Proceeds of run will benefit the Alexander Mitchell Public Library

New subject book lists added to library site

The Williams Library recently created book lists by subjects. Each subject's book list provides the latest titles (books and other resources) added to the library collection. These lists are updated monthly and you may subscribe to the lists' rss feeds. Select "New Books" on the left side of the library homepage to view the lists.

Database highlight: Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)

CIAO is a comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. It publishes a wide range of scholarship from 1991 onward that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs. It provides multiple viewpoints on international issues.

CIAO is a good source for teaching materials, including original case studies (e.g. Why Iraq Partitioned Itself)written by leading international affairs experts, course packs (e.g. Landmines) of background readings for history and political science classes, and special features.

Library site and databases

Update: The library site is working again. The new site URL is http://www3.northern.edu/library.

Thank you for your patience
---------------------------------------------------

Text a Librarian

Ever wanted to use your cell phone to text a librarian? Now you can!! To ask the NSU librarians a question follow these directions.

• Create a new text message and type "246246" in the "To:" box.
• In the "Text:" area type nsulibrarian
• Type your message.
• Hit send!

All normal texting charges apply.

Interested in becoming a Librarian? Great Scholarships!

A representative from the University of North Texas (UNT) will discuss how one may earn a Master's in Library Science and receive a scholarship.

When: Friday, Oct 9
Time: 10am-12pm
Where: Library 118
---------------------------------------
Master's Degree program
UNT's Department of Library and Information Sciences is bringing its ALA-accredited Master’s in Library Science program and popular online format to the Upper Midwest. The program starts with students participating in two four-day Web Institutes (in Missoula, MT - September 3 - 6, 2010 or in Billings, MT - January 14 -17, 2011). The rest of the degree is online.

Scholarships!
Four states, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana (SWIM), have formed a formal partnership to address library education needs in the region. The SWIM Regional Collaborative Library Education Project will provide scholarships to educate librarians through the UNT/LIS master’s program to work in the region's rural communities. The funding is sponsored by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

SWIM scholarship includes:

• An opportunity to earn a MLIS degree from an ALA accredited graduate program.
• Financial Support — Recipients will receive scholarships to cover approximately 80% of the cost of tuition, fees, and books (approximately $12, 960).
• Travel stipends for required training, residencies, and state library association conferences in the SWIM region including support to attend the in-person Institute.

The scholarship application is due or must be postmarked by March 15th, 2010. The application will be available in October on the SD State Library’s website.

Banned Book Week: Sept 27-Oct 3

Come to the Williams Library to see the display of
Banned Books and Suppressed Literature

Each September the American Library Association highlights books that people have tried to ban from public and school libraries. Banned Book Week also highlights information freedom, which most US citizen hold dear. Higher education institutions are usually insulated from the continual battle among libraries, schools, and book challengers. Challengers are individuals from various backgrounds who object to the availability of certain library books/materials to children (17 years old or younger) or to their communities. People have the right to challenge materials in any library, and the library board or school board review the request based on its policy. Below are a few examples (more examples) of challenges in 2008/2009 compiled by ALA’s American Libraries magazine.

• Title/Author: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  Reason: A Cherry Hill, NJ resident had objected to the novel’s depiction of how blacks are treated by members of a racist white community in an Alabama town during the Depression. The resident feared the book would upset black children reading it.
  Status: Retained in the English curriculum

• Title/Author: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
  Reason: An individual in North Stafford, Va. challenged the use of Zinn’s book in a high school advanced-placement history class (2009), even though it’s not the primary textbook because the book is “un-American, leftist propaganda.” Students in the advanced placement class also read an article titled, “Howard Zinn’s Disappointing History of the United States,” which criticizes Zinn’s book.
  Status: Challenged

• Title/Author: Twilight Series by Stephenie H. Meyer
  Reason: In the middle school libraries of the Capistrano, Calif. Unified School District (2008). The books were initially ordered removed by the district’s instructional materials specialist, who ordered that the books be moved from middle school to high school collections. That order was rescinded and the books remain in the middle school libraries.
  Status: Removed from and later reinstated

• Title/Author: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wiched Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
  The book was retained in the tenth-grade honors program of the Canandaigua Academy in Ontario County, N.Y. (2008) despite concerns about the sexual content on a few pages of the book. The district will offer alternative reading for anyone who objects to the book.
  Status: Retained

• Title/Author: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part‑Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  Book was suspended from a Crook County High School classroom in Prineville, Oreg. (2008) after a parent complained it was offensive. The New York Times best seller and a National Book Award winner will remain out of the classroom until the school district can revamp its policies. The book is about a boy growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation who decides to attend an all‑white school. The protagonist in Alexie’s book discusses masturbation.
  Status: Suspended

• Title/Author: The Starplace by Vicki Grove
  The book was challenged at the Turner Elementary School in New Tampa, Fla. (2008) because the novel contains a racial epithet. The book about an interracial middleschool friendship in 1960s Oklahoma was highly recommended by Children’s Literature Review.
  Status: Challenged

*Photo by flickr user florian.b under a creative commons license

Wall Street Journal in Factiva

If you are looking for full-text Wall Street Journal articles try Factiva. Factiva has

• WSJ full-text articles from 1984 to present
• WSJ abstracts from 1979-1984
• a special module for the latest two-weeks (demo)
• many other business and news publications
  

Database hightlight: Historical SD Newspapers

The America's Historical Newspapers - South Dakota Collection is a fully searchable collection from Newsbank, which includes:

• the Aberdeen American (1907-1922),
• the Aberdeen Daily News (1885-1922),
• the Dakota Republican (1862-1875), and
  
• the Yankton Press and Dakotan (1861-1875).

Use this database to find articles on local and regional history.

September 11 resources

A few select resources to remember and review the events of September 11, 2001:

The September 11 Web Archive
This site represents an effort to "to preserve the Web expressions of individual people, groups, the press and institutions from around the world, in the aftermath of the attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001." A collaboration among the Library of Congress, the Internet Archive, and WebArchivist.org.

Witness and Response: September 11 Acquisitions at the Library of Congress
"In almost every section of the Library of Congress, staff have sought and received an abundance of original material including prints, photographs, drawings, poems, eye-witness accounts and personal reactions, headlines, books, magazines, songs, maps, videotapes and films." related to September 11, 2001. Includes children's artwork and audio reactions, posters and chapbook covers, and aerial views. From the Library of Congress.

The September 11, 2001, Documentary Project
This project captures the heartfelt reactions, eyewitness accounts, and diverse opinions of Americans and others in the months that followed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93. Patriotism and unity mixed with sadness, anger, and insecurity are common themes expressed in this online presentation of almost 200 audio and video interviews, 45 graphic items, and 21 written narratives.

Complete Coverage: The 9/11 Records
Under court order, "the city of New York [in August 2005] opened part of its archive of records from Sept. 11, releasing a digital avalanche of oral histories, dispatchers' tapes and phone logs. ... For the first time, about 200 accounts of emergency medical technicians, paramedics and their supervisors were made public." This site provides the unedited audio dispatches and oral histories of dispatch transmissions, along with articles and commentary. From the New York Times; some sections require free registration.

America Transformed: NPR Coverage Sept. 11 - Oct. 8, 2001
This is an archive of National Public Radio coverage in the weeks immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The archive includes articles, images, essays, audio, and other resources, "indexed by show with the most recent audio listed first."

The 9/11 Commission report : final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States
The Commission’s Final Report provides a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. It also includes recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.

Database highlight: ARTstor

ARTstor is a digital library of more than one million images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences with a set of tools to view, present, and manage images for research and pedagogical purposes.

The Digital Library serves users in the arts, history, architecture and other disciplines (e.g. American Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, Classical Studies, Literary Studies, Medieval Studies, Music, Religious Studies, and Renaissance Studies, etc). The collection is for all of whom find the images in ARTstor to be relevant to their teaching and research. To learn more, please see our section on Interdisciplinary uses.

In ARTstor you can:

• Browse content by collection, classification, or geography
• Search content by keyword or advanced search terms (e.g., date and geographic origin)
• Sort search results by date, creator, or title
• View images and image data
• Zoom in on and pan images for greater detail
• Print and save images and related data to other hardware (e.g. CD, memory stick, hard drive)
• and more

Please check your library record!

On the back of your NSU ID is your library barcode/username (215…), this barcode allows you to checkout materials, login to databases from off campus, and request materials from other libraries (via interlibrary loan).

Unfortunately, the SDLN server has lost data, which may or may not include your library barcode. Please attempt to login to the library catalog with your barcode and password (your last name). Watch the video demonstration to understand the process.

If the barcode does not work, please contact us or stop in so we may load your barcode in the system.

Phone: 626-2645 or 626-3018
Email: reference@northern.edu

Quality Health Info online

According to a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life project, 61% of American adults look online for health information. With this information in mind, below are a few quality resources.

• MedlinePlus.gov - a site for consumers looking for answers to health questions. It brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations
• HealthFinder - a government Web site where you will find information and tools to help you and those you care about stay healthy. It has resources on a wide range of health topics selected from over 1,600 government and non-profit organizations to bring you the best, most reliable health information on the Internet.
• Womenshealth.gov - The Office on Women's Health (OWH) was established in 1991 its Vision is to ensure that "All Women and Girls are Healthier and Have a Better Sense of Well Being." Its mission is to "provide leadership to promote health equity for women and girls through sex/gender-specific approaches."
• Men's Health - Section from MedlinePlus specifically for male health issues.
  

Also, checkout this Consumer Health guide from the University of Iowa

Open Government - South Dakota

Recently, the South Dakota state government created Open SD as part of an open government initiative. This portal currently "provides financial information about state government, in a searchable format, which currently includes over 106,000 different financial records." The hope is that this site will only grow and provide more information to the citizens of South Dakota to help make informed comments and decisions.

Check rumors with Snopes.com

Snopes.com is a great site to check rumors or urban legends you hear on TV or receive online. The staff does its best to find evidence (which is cited) to verify urban legends. It categorizes the stories by color:

• White - complete urban legend
• Green - true (preponderance of evidence to back up), or based on true story
• Yellow - disputed claims, factual items which the available evidence is too contradictory or insufficient
• Red - claims which cannot be established as true by a preponderance of (reliable) evidence.
• Multi-colored - identify claims which are a mixture of truth and falsehood.

Swine Influenza information

DynaMed, a point-of-care reference resource, has consolidated information on Swine Influenza from multiple sources for health care providers to stay current with recommendations for monitoring, diagnosing, and treating patients with flu-like illnesses during this outbreak. DynaMed Editors will continue to monitor information and update this topic as needed throughout this global crisis.

Also, information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Interactive map of US job lossess

This interactive map visually represents the number of US job losses (and some gains) from January 2007 to February 2009. Select the play button to see the change over the time period. Slate.com compiled the map based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers.

Web 2.0 Guide and Glossary

This guide is to help individuals understand Web 2.0 and some of the possibilities of using online tools for personal and professional life.

This web guide, created by Daniel Nations of About.com, "will help those new to social media gain an understanding of social networking, social bookmarking, social news, personalized start pages, wikis, widgets and other aspects of the new Internet that can help in connecting with others, increasing productivity or having more fun."

A glossary is also included.

UNESCO and Library of Congress: New World Digital Library

"UNESCO and 32 partner institutions will launch the World Digital Library, a web site that features unique cultural materials from libraries and archives from around the world, at UNESCO Headquarters on 21 April. The site will include manuscripts, maps, rare books, films, sound recordings, and prints and photographs. It will provide unrestricted public access, free of charge, to this material." It is open now! Take a look.

Essay Contest Winners

On April 7, 10 students read their "This I Believe" essays. Students were asked to write an essay in the manner of the "This I Believe" National Public Radio program. The essays are personal mantras or "the reason one gets up everyday." The essay contest was run in conjunction with the Alexander Mitchell Public Library's All-Aberdeen Reads program. The Williams Library is very proud of all the students who participated in the program. The three judges selected:

• First place ($75) – Rebecca Bartels (essay on imagination and reading)
• Second place ($50) – Xueting Zhao (essay about learning from dance)
  
• Third place ($25 ea) – Philip Mittleider (essay on hard work) and Rachel Schipper (essay on kindness)
  

Rebecca, Philip, Xueting, and Lori (Lori read for Rachel)
other essay photos at Flickr

Delicious - Get your booksmarks anywhere

Do you use more than one computer to access the internet? Ever wish you could synchronize the bookmarks on these various computers?

Delicious is the tool for you. You save your bookmarks to this free online service and once you log on you can access them from any computer. Use it as a search engine too. Search the database of all Delicious users' bookmarks to find new resources and tools.

Plus, if you find a Delicious user who list many useful tools and resources in your area, you may follow him/her and know when a new bookmark is added.

Philosophy and Innovation at the TED conference

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a conference bringing together people from these three worlds. "The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)." It also brings innovated people to discuss their current projects, some of them very practical. View some of the major speech at the TED site.