New Library Home Page Unveiled in June
The new home page for Passports, the Webster University Library web site, “went live” on June 1, 2006. The new design is more intuitive and audience-based and has been well-received according to our online survey. If you would like to know exactly where your old favorite pages are in the new design, use this link: New Library Home Page Guide. Click any link on the old home page to learn the new location of that information. You can also check the Site Index and Search box located at the top right of the new home page.
Central Search: Federated Searching Comes to Passports
Have you ever wanted to search many Passports databases at once to determine which one has the most information on your topic, or even if there is much information available for your topic? Central Search, a Web-based software program now active on Passports, allows you to do just that. Known as a federated search engine, Central Search provides a single search interface for over 80 of the Passports databases and the library’s catalog. You can search all 80+ databases at once, or choose subject categories for more focused searching. The Emerson Library reference staff suggests that you keep your Central Search simple: one or two words or phrases, and remember to enclose phrases in “double quotation marks”. Once Central Search runs your search, you can look at the results from all databases, or look at the results in just specific databases. You might be surprised by how much, and where, information on your topic may be found. The reference staff also recommends using Central Search as a starting point to get a quick picture of what is available and then refine your search in the best databases identified by Central Search. This allows you to learn and utilize the full search capabilities of individual databases in your field of study.
Central Search is a new product from Serials Solutions, the same company which brought Article Linker and the A-Z Journal, Magazine, Newspaper List to Passports. Article Linker links you from a citation in one database to the article text in another database. The A-Z Journal List allows you to search a periodical title to see which database carries the full-text, or if the library subscribes to the periodical. The addition of Central Search continues the library’s mission to provide Webster University researchers with more seamless links to the wealth of information on Passports.
Citing References is Easier through Refworks
When researching and writing a paper, often the bibliography or reference list is seen as an afterthought--an end-of-the-process hassle of formatting each citation to fit the APA, MLA, Chicago, or AMA style. To help make the research and writing process more seamless, Emerson Library recently subscribed to RefWorks. In library jargon, RefWorks is a bibliographic citation manager. In action, RefWorks allows a researcher to export lists of sources (be it lists of books from the library catalog or lists of articles from our many databases) into a personal database. This database can be manipulated by the researcher, including formatting the bibliography in any of several hundred different citation styles. RefWorks is available on Passports to Webster faculty, students, and staff worldwide. Those collaborating on a project may set up a shared RefWorks account in addition to their individual accounts. Log in to RefWorks and set up your account to begin using it. From a freshman’s first paper or a nurse anesthesia thesis to a management dissertation or faculty article for publication, RefWorks makes the job a little easier.
LavLit Wins Award
Each year at the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, MLA's public relations firm (PCI or Public Communications Inc) reviews examples of promotional materials submitted by member libraries. This year, Emerson Library's LavLit took first place in the Academic Libraries’ Ongoing Professional Campaigns category. At PCI’s workshop entitled "How to Make Others Love Your Library as Much as You Do," LavLit was repeatedly cited as a great example of the use of humor to provide library information to a captive audience. Published monthly since 2004, LavLit can be found posted on the restroom walls at Emerson Library. LavLit was inspired by The Throne, a restroom publication at the College of William and Mary. Congratulations to our editors, Mary Anne Erwin and Holly Hubenschmidt, as well as everyone who has contributed to LavLit. LavLit's success has led to the creation of LIBlit, an online version of LavLit. LIBlit provides up-to-date, practical advice on everything from doing research to using electronic databases and requesting library services or research help. Each quarter we bring to the Webster University community the latest on new library products and answers to everyday questions on library and research issues. For more information contact the Emerson Library Reference Department at (314) 968-6950 (toll-free 800-985-4279). Webster University students, faculty, and staff may also contact us through our Ask a Librarian email service.
Best Practices on Teaching with Passports
Reference librarians have created several “best practices” models to provide faculty with ideas and resources for using Passports in their classes. Each activity or assignment listed below has practical advice for planning and implementation and includes links to related web sites, databases, library materials, etc. These best practices are available on Passports under Faculty Services http://library.webster.edu/best/index.html and include:
Library Expert in Vienna
Allen Hoffman, Music Cataloger and Liaison, spent two weeks in Vienna working on a project funded by the Energizer Staff Exchange program. From April 10th -21st, 2006, Allen worked with Webster-Vienna's staff to help organize the Vienna Library’s music materials, a collection of about 800 books and scores. The materials were organized and cataloged and data records for the music collection were loaded into the Vienna library's computer system. Allen will continue to update the music holdings by cataloging materials that Emerson Library sends to Vienna.
JSTOR--New Database Offers Full-Text Journals in the Humanities and Social Sciences
The library now offers JSTOR, a digital archive of important scholarly journals. Our subscription includes two JSTOR collections, Arts & Sciences II & Arts & Sciences III. Together these collections provide full-text for over 270 journals in the humanities and social sciences. Journal subject coverage includes anthropology, area studies, economics, history, political science, sociology, art history & architecture, classical studies, music, religion, film studies, folklore, performing arts, and philosophy. A complete list of journal titles is available at http://www.jstor.org/about/collection.list.html. JSTOR offers complete backfiles starting with volume 1 for most journals and high resolution, scanned images of articles. Keep in mind that JSTOR is a digital archive of journals. Archive and storage are important words here. Due to the nature of JSTOR’s mission and agreements with publishers, JSTOR does not provide full-text for current issues (usually the past 1 to 5 years), but it will link to full-text if it is available in other library databases.
Database Additions and Cancellations
Following a careful review of the over 100 Passports databases and in consultation with faculty, the library added several new databases and cancelled others to ensure that we continue to provide strong support for the curriculum. The following new databases have been added:
BVMarketData provides access to data on public and private companies and includes BIZCOMPS, which reports transactions of small private "Main Street" businesses; Integra 5-Year Industry Data Reports, which provides industry financial benchmarks for privately-held companies in over 900 industries; Mergerstat, which quantifies the minority discount and control premium data used in business valuation and appraisals of public companies; Pratt's Stats,which highlights the details of sales of large privately and closely held companies; and Public Stats, which reports transaction details of public company sales. BVlibrary.com provides timely, concise, authoritative, access to the business valuation literature through Deluxe BVUpdate.
DoneDeals Online provides merger and acquisition details for private and public mid-market companies sold for purchase prices between $1 million and $1 billion. Searchable by: closing date, S.I.C. industry, price, buyer, seller, private or public company, location, keyword.
JSTOR (see article in this newsletter). JSTOR is a digital archive of scholarly journals. Note that our subscription is for the following collections: Arts & Sciences II and Arts & Sciences III. Subject areas covered by these two collections include: economics; history; Asian studies; archaeology; classics; African, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Slavic studies; language and literature; music; film studies; folklore; performing arts; religion; and the history and study of art and architecture.
Naxos Music Library Jazz The library has subscribed to the Naxos Music Library database for some years now, which provides access to a collection of over 150,000 tracks of music, mostly classical, with some jazz, folk, and world (especially Chinese). With the addition of Naxos Music Library Jazz, we now have one of the most comprehensive collections of jazz music available online. Offering nearly 20,000 tracks of jazz from over 1,850 albums, over 500 jazz artists are represented. Users can also access biographical information on selected composers or artists and notes on various pieces of music through the Naxos databases.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy This database is an expanded version of the 10-volume print encyclopedia of the same name. It contains signed articles with bibliographies on philosophers and issues in philosophy. It has original articles covering an unparalleled breadth of subject matter, including Anglo-American, ethical and political, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, continental and contemporary philosophy. It is updated quarterly, extensively cross-referenced, and includes links to critically reviewed websites.
Cancelled databases are listed at this link, Cancelled Databases, along with links to the recommended alternatives. Some faculty may have existing student assignments or course content tied to usage of one of the cancelled databases. Please make sure to revise any assignments that instruct students to use any of these databases. If you have questions concerning availability of specific content formerly found in a cancelled database, please contact a reference librarian (314-968-6950 or 1-800 985-4279) to find alternative access. Four additional databases have been cancelled but access is still available for fall I and part of fall II: CultureGrams and Current Biography (available through December) and KCDL Kraus Curriculum and LoisLaw (available through November).
Electronic Reserves Service Update
Faculty use of electronic reserves (eReserves) continues to grow, with over 560 faculty member accounts and over 38,000 page hits in 2005-06. The eReserves system allows faculty to post reserve items on the web to make items available to students 24/7. Examples of reserve items include syllabi, journal articles, book chapters, Web links, netLibrary eBooks, audio and video files, exams, answer keys, lecture notes, and government publications. The eReserves system displays documents in any format, including PDF, HTML, spreadsheets, word processor, and PowerPoint files. Faculty who already use a Web page can link it to an eReserves page, which can serve as the central access point for all online reserve readings. EReserves is fully compatible with WebCT and with the new Connections portal . For more information on eReserves, visit Electronic Reserves on Passports and click on the "Frequently Asked Questions” link or contact our Electronic Reserves Coordinator, Greg Kettinger, by phone (314) 961-2660 x7813 or 800-985-4279 or e-mail kettigre@webster.edu.
Turnitin Plagiarism Prevention Service Update
Over 375 faculty members now have Turnitin accounts and have activated over 5,100 student accounts to enable students to submit papers directly to Turnitin. This year alone, there were over 6,700 submissions to Turnitin by Webster University students and faculty. Turnitin is a powerful teaching tool that can be used to teach students the writing and documentation skills they will need in college and beyond. Turnitin submissions are checked for originality against millions of journal and book pages as well as over 8 billion pages on the open and archived Internet. Within a few hours, the Turnitin web site will return an Originality Report (tm), which consists of copies of the student papers highlighting any text that has matches in the Turnitin database. The faculty member can then determine whether the sources have been properly documented. Turnitin offers faculty several new features, including the option of not archiving student papers in the Turnitin database. Sign up for a Turnitin account at http://library.webster.edu/services/turnitinreq.html and see the Turnitin Instructor Quickstart for instructions on getting started: http://www.turnitin.com/static/pdf/tii_instructor_qs.pdf.