Chesnutt Library Blog

“Because it’s all about ‘U,’” the Chesnutt Library Blog is designed to promptly and efficiently provide timely news, inform of library events, books, databases and more for our students, staff and faculty. In our effort to enhance communication, the Chesnutt Library Blog will bring academic resources together in one place, with one click, with one purpose in mind - Educational Excellence - designed to enhance learning, guarantee access and promote scholarship.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Catalog your books online using LibraryThing

LibraryThing is an online service to help people catalog their books easily. You can access your catalog from anywhere—even on your mobile phone. Because everyone catalogs together, LibraryThing also connects people with the same books, comes up with suggestions for what to read next, and so forth. It requires no software and you can catalog up to 200 books for free. Anything more than 200 books will cost $10.00 a year or $25.00 a lifetime. For more information and to get started cataloging visit LibraryThing.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Database of the Week - SOCIndex w/Full-Text

SocINDEX with Full Text

SocINDEX with Full Text is a comprehensive sociology research database with an extensive scope. Coverage includes all sub-disciplines and closely related areas of study to sociology. Topics include abortion, criminology & criminal justice, demography, ethnic & racial studies, gender studies, marriage & family, political sociology, religion, rural & urban sociology, social development, social psychology, social structure, social work, socio-cultural anthropology, sociological history, sociological research, sociological theory, substance abuse and other addictions, violence and many others.

There are more than 1,910,000 records with subject headings based on a sociological thesaurus. Informative abstracts are available from more than 815 "core" coverage journals dating as far back as 1895. Of those 815, there is complete full text for 397 "core" coverage journals dating back to 1908. In addition, abstracts are also included from more than 630 "priority" coverage journals, and of these there is complete full text for 150 "priority" coverage journals. There are abstracts for more than 2,840 "selective" coverage journals. There is also extensive indexing of books/monographs, conference papers, and other non-periodical content sources, and full text content for more than 720 books and monographs, and full text for 6,743 conference papers.

Under the “Advanced Search” are links to several useful features. One of them is the more than 10,000 “Author Profiles” that are available. These profiles reflect the most prolific, most cited, and most frequently searched for authors in the database. Each author profile includes the full name, credentials, contact information, website link, journals in which the author has written, subject headings, keywords, geographic terms and related persons. At a glance, users can quickly ascertain an author's areas of expertise and academic or professional focus. Author profiles are updated on a routine basis as new information about each author becomes available, and new authors’ profiles continue to be added on an ongoing basis.

Another feature is the “Subject Terms,” which allow a user to search a Thesaurus of standard terminology used within the database. Each article is assigned a subject heading, or several, based on its content. “Broader Terms,” “Narrower Terms,” and “Related Terms” are provided by clicking on the main term selected. Scope notes are provided, which define the term, and there are also “Used For” references, which indicate past subject terms that are no longer used. Terms can also be searched using the abbreviation DE and the subject heading in quotation marks. (i.e. DE “Abandoned Children”). This feature really helps users in being able to see the terminology surrounding a subject.

I especially like this database for the full text content it has in the areas of sociology, criminal justice, social work and psychology. The only shortcoming appears to be the updating of the web sites in the author profiles. Faculty move and university websites move, so the links are sometimes not as current as one would like, but overall, I find this database very useful, especially in the interdisciplinary subject areas.

Jan Whitfield, Head of Public Services and Reference

Thursday, March 22, 2007

New Feature in ERIC

Individuals who search ERIC at www.eric.ed.gov may notice a Find in a Library link in the search results. ERIC is partnering with OCLC to leverage the OpenURL Gateway and WorldCat to provide users with a link from ERIC records to electronic and print resources available in libraries. The feature dramatically streamlines the process of obtaining full text.

The Find in a Library feature offers two linking paths: OpenURL access to library holdings and WorldCat. For users associated with one of the 1,100 libraries registered with the OCLC OpenURL Gateway, selecting Find in a Library will lead to a search of the library's electronic holdings and seamless access to available full text. If no full text is available users may choose to link to WorldCat.

If the user is not affiliated with a library registered in the OpenURL Gateway, Find in a Library will connect to WorldCat. Using this service the ERIC user will be able to find the nearest library with a print or electronic version of the material. WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services and catalogs a billion items in more than 10,000 libraries worldwide.

Source: ERIC news and the ResourceShelf

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

The Big Read

The Big Read

Their Eyes Were Watching God

By

Zora Neale Hurston




"The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literature in American popular culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens."

Chessnut Library invites you to a book reading and discussion of the selected book, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

When: Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Where: Chesnutt Library, Fayetteville State University, 3rd Floor Library Conference Room

Visit our website for more information.




Easter Holiday Hours

Hours for Easter Holiday

Thursday, April 5, 2007 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Friday - Sunday, April 6 - April 8, 2007 CLOSED

Database of the Week - Xreferplus

Xreferplus

This week we will look at Xreferplus, a digital reference library, which contains the types of reference books that you would expect to see in a library: dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and books of quotations, not to mention a host of subject-specific titles covering: art, bilinguals, biography, business, conversions, dictionaries, encyclopedias, food, geography, history, language law, literature, medicine, music, philosophy & psychology, quotations, religion, science, social sciences, technology.

Xreferplus provides three ways to search: Concept mapping, Browse topics, and Advanced Search.

The most unique search method in Xreferplus is the Concept Map. Enter your search term and the Concept Map generates a visual map of how search terms and topics in Xreferplus are interconnected.

Book titles in Xreferplus are grouped by topic and you can Browse Topics, by selecting “Browse topics” on the main page, or by selecting a topic at the top of the page.

Selecting a topic, for example selecting “Technology” from the Browse topics screen will give you a list of all the books grouped under that topic. From there you can do a search within the selected topic, or select a book title. If you select a book title you can browse by alphabetic entry (same as you would use a print encyclopedia) or search within that title using the search box.

There is an “Advanced search” screen with multiple search fields, options to sort results, and the ability specify which topics you want to search in, ranging from all topics to selecting just one or two topics.

What makes Xreferplus note-worthy, in my opinion, is the use of xreferences. Xreferences are links that connect related entries to one another, cross-referencing entries from all the titles, publishers, and format (text, audio, and image files) included in Xreferplus. This allows you to collect information on a topic from a variety of reference sources. In addition, the Concept Map provides a visual representation of how search terms and topics are interconnected. For example, the more connected the terms are the closer together they are in the concept map.

Xreferplus is a good tool to when beginning research to learn about more about your research topic.

Laura Wright

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Database of the Week - New Feature!

In an effort to showcase the many wonderful databases Chesnutt Library has to offer, the librarians in the Reference Department will be posting brief reviews of the databases. Each week will feature a different database. We hope this gives FSU students, faculty, and staff a small glimpse into the many resources at Chesnutt Library. We welcome any comments or suggestions on any of our posts.

Our first Database of the Week is Project Muse.


"Project Muse is an online collection of several hundred titles in the arts, humanities and social sciences from 60 university and society presses. Muse journals cover many fields of study including literature, history, politics and policy studies, economics, education, film, religion and women's studies."

Like most databases Project Muse allows both Basic and Advanced searching. The Basic screen has one search box with ten search fields: All Fields w/Text (default), All Fields except Text, Article Text, Article Title, Article Author, LC Subject, Journal, Author reviewed, and Title reviewed. The search engine automatically defaults to searching journals subscribed to by Chesnutt Library but you can search ALL journals. Results can be sorted by relevance, date, or journal (alphabetical).

The Advanced screen contains four search boxes to allow for multiple field searches. Project Muse allows you to limit your search by Type (Article, Review, Poetry, Fiction or Drama), by Date, or by Journal Title.

Some Notable Features:

  • Articles are in both HTML and PDF formats
  • Results can be saved for export to Endnote, Refworks, Email or Printer-Friendly version
  • Email results include full citation with the url for the full-text article
  • Library of Congress subject headings included with results
  • Email Alerts
  • RSS feeds
What I Think:


Project Muse has a simple interface and is easy to navigate. One of its most useful features is its Search History button. I was continually modifying my search strategies to get better results. It worked great. Some Articles contain thumbnail pictures, but by clicking on the thumbnail you get a clearer, bigger picture with excellent detail. Its individual journal feeds provide the latest four issues of selected journals plus upcoming titles - also an excellent feature. This database is highly recommended for students and faculty conducting research in the humanities, arts and social sciences.

Linette Neal, Reference Librarian


New Books at Chesnutt Library

The following books are located in the Main Stacks (2nd & 3rd floors) of the Chesnutt Library:

PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, AND RELIGION


Fundamentalism and American Culture
[BT 82.2 .M37 2006]

SOCIAL SCIENCES


Asian Brand Strategy: How Asia Builds Strong Brands
[HD 69 .B7 R65 2006]

EDUCATION

The Crisis of Elementary Education in India
[LA 1152 .C75 2006]

The Child in the World/The World in the Child:
Education and the Configuration of a Universal, Modern, and Globalized Childhood
[LB 43 .C45 2006]

Horace Mann's Vision of the Public Schools
[LB 695 .M35 H39 2006]

180 Days to Successful Writers: Lessons to Prepare Your Students for Standardized Assessments and for Life
[LB 1576 .D655 2006]

50 Literacy Strategies for Culturally Responsive Teaching, K-8
[LB 1576 .S3255 2006]

Creating a Classroom Community of Young Scientists
[LB 1585 .B63 2006]

Teachers Behaving Badly: Dilemmas for School Leaders
[LV 1779 .T43 2005]

Does Quality Pay?: Benefits of Attending a High-Cost, Prestigious College
[LB 2331.63 .Z483 2005]

The Changing Landscape of the Academic Profession: The Culture of Faculty at For-Profit Colleges and Universities
[LB 2331.72 .L45 2006]

Empowering School Leaders: Personal Political Power for School Board Members and Administrators
[LB 2805 .B5633 2006]

Real-Time Problem Solving in Schools: Case Studies for School Leaders
[LB 2805 .P588 2006]

Priority Leadership: Generating School and District Improvement through Systemic Change
[LB2822.82 .H493 2006]

When School Crisis Occurs: What Parents and Stakeholders Want to Know
[LB 2866.5 .S48 2006]

School Calendar Reform: Learning in All Seasons
[LB 3034 .B26 2006]

Schooling, Society and Curriculum
[LC 191.8 .G7 S35 2006]

User-Friendly Schools for Latinos: A Model for All Immigrants
[LC 2669 .R53 2006]

MEDICINE

Bates' Guide to Phiysical Examination and History Taking
[RC 76 .B38 2007]

BIBLIOGRAPHY, LIBRARY SCIENCE AND INFORMATION RESOURCES

Literature and the Child
[Z 1037 .C946 2006]

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

New Reference Books at Chesnutt Library

The following new reference books are located on the 1st floor of the Chesnutt Library:


The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History [DC220 .E53 2006]

From the publisher –

In three extraordinarily rich volumes, The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars captures the full sweep and legacy of the transformation of Europe from 1792 to 1815. Its nearly 900 alphabetically organized, fully cross-referenced entries provide students and general readers with vivid biographies of politicians, sovereigns, and commanders; accounts of battles, weaponry, and diplomatic affairs; insights into the art, music, and culture of the times; and much more.

The Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling [RB155.6 .A93 2006]

From the publisher –

Harold Chen, MD, shares his almost 40 years of clinical genetics practice in a comprehensive pictorial atlas of 203 genetic disorders, malformations, and malformation syndromes. The author provides a detailed outline for each disorder, describing its genetics, basic defects, clinical features, diagnostic tests, and counseling issues, including recurrence risk, prenatal diagnosis, and management. Numerous color photographs of prenatal ultrasounds, imagings, cytogenetics, and postmortem findings illustrate the clinical features of patients at different ages, patients with varying degrees of severity, and the optimal diagnostic strategies. The disorders cited are supplemented by case histories and diagnostic confirmation by cytogenetics, biochemical, and molecular techniques, when available.

The Encyclopedia of World War II: A Political, Social, and Military History

[D740 .E516 2005]

From the publisher –

With over one million words of richly illustrated text, it covers every important battle and weapon system; individual nations and geographic locations; and political, social, and military leaders. Featured essays offer deeper analyses of crucial events such as Pearl Harbor, the Holocaust, the atomic bomb, and other fascinating topics. Providing its content is an incomparable team of international academics and independent historians. Volume five, the documents volume, is unmatched in breadth and depth and includes primary sources such as important official writings and personal reminiscences of the war's key events.

Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity [BR1644 .E632006]

From the publisher –

The Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity examines all aspects of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity movements. Focusing on their historical and worldwide development and using a socio-cultural, anthropological approach, this work explains the concepts, practices and sociology of both movements and analyzes their impact on regional cultures.

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture [DS779.23 .E532005]

From the publisher –

The Encyclopedia contains nearly 1200 entries written by an international team of specialists, to enable readers to explore a range of diverse and fascinating cultural subjects from prisons to rock groups, underground Christian churches to TV talk shows and radio hotlines.

While the focus of the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture is on mainland China since 1980, it also includes longer, specially commissioned entries on various aspects of contemporary culture in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Including full and up-to-date references for further reading, the Encyclopedia is an indispensable reference tool for all teachers and students of contemporary Chinese culture. It will also be warmly embraced as an invaluable source of cultural context by tourists, journalists, business people and others who visit China.

The Sage Dictionary of Social Research Methods [H62.S274 2006]

From the publisher –

Bringing together the work of over eighty leading academics and researchers worldwide to produce the definitive reference and research tool for the social sciences, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods contains more than 230 entries providing the widest coverage of the all the main terms in the research process. It encompasses philosophies of science, research paradigms and designs, specific aspects of data collection, practical issues to be addressed when carrying out research, and the role of research in terms of function and context.

Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport [GV567 .B48 2005]

From the publisher –

The Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport presents everything and anything you want to know about sports and the sporting life. Here at last is a single reference resource that captures the essence of the world of sport, and its incredible variety. Knowledge from sports management, sports science, human movement studies, sport history, and sport sociology synthesized in 450 comprehensive, illustrated articles. Here is full coverage of all the social and human issues in sports that keep talk radio buzzing, the background and low-down for fans and students alike. Coverage begins with sport among prehistoric hunters and gatherers and extends to the global sports industry of the twenty-first century. Key social issues such as doping, racism, sexism, civic life, youth participation, and public policy are amply covered, with all perspectives represented.