Polk Library News
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Polk Library provides access to over 100 databases and online resource collections, which taken together were searched or browsed over 950,000 times in 2008. This is a 20% increase from 2007 and shows how critical these resources are to students, staff and faculty. Below is a list of the Top 20 databases based on the number of searches or uses over the course of 2008:
In the December '08 issue of Polk Library News, I hinted that we were working on a tool to "creat[e] a library resources page ... automatically for every class in the university [that could be] easily customized by the instructor without any HTML knowledge". Well, it's here! Polk Library Course Pages has been in a quiet "beta" period this Spring, and students are already using it in over 100 classes across the university; in fact, the pages for the 20 most popular courses span 13 academic departments. Every single class at UW Oshkosh already has a Course Page, so even if you've never seen yours, it's likely that some of your students are already using it! What is a Library Course Page? Simply put, it's a single web page that combines all of the resources that Polk Library recommends for a specific class. Students (and instructors) can open the Library Course Page for a class right from its D2L page -- the link is in the same place for every class, so after students use it once, they know how to find the Library Course Page for every other class they take. Each page starts with any traditional (print) reserves or electronic reserves that you've set up for your class at Polk. Next, students will find all of the best research tools for that academic subject, including links to journal databases, primary source materials, and book search boxes. With each tool is an explanation why a student might use it for that class. Finally, the page includes the contact information for a Polk librarian, so that students are encouraged to contact us for help with their research projects. The Art 482 page is a pretty good example. The magic behind providing a Library Course Page for every class, automatically, is that we start with a set of search tools that Polk librarians have determined are relevant to most courses in your department. What if that's too general for your needs, or some of those resources don't apply to your class? As the instructor, you can customize the page to suit the needs of your class, adding and removing search tools or links to other websites. No HTML or other web design skills are needed. (By the way, if you bring your class into Polk for library instruction, we may customize the page ourselves to demo research methods during the session. Just another reason to bring in your class....) The easiest way to find your course page is by clicking the link on your D2L course home -- it's in the "Library resources" box in the upper right (see the picture below). More information is also available on the Course Pages home, and at this list of frequently asked questions. If you have any questions or feedback about accessing, using or customizing your own course pages, please contact Renee Buker, Marisa Finkey or myself and we'll be happy to help you get started.
Polk Library has a new web presence: Facebook. Following a growing trend in academic libraries, Polk Library now has a Facebook fan page. The page isn't the same as a regular profile page for individuals but rather a branding opportunity for the library and a way to “take the library to where the students are”. The library page showcases library hours and information on events, such as the recent book sale. In addition, there are several database companies that are creating applications that work within Facebook. For instance WorldCat has an application – called an app, or sometimes a widget – that allows Facebook users to search WorldCat right from their Facebook profile. Polk Library staff has built an app that allows users to search the Polk and BadgerCat catalogs from within Facebook, with more Polk apps on the way. While Facebook is a great place to offer library services for students, technical services librarian Ciara Healy maintains the page and is currently revising some design elements to appeal to a broader variety of Facebook users. As reported in the New York Times Magazine on March 15th 2009, “there was an estimated 276 percent increase in Facebook users ages 35-54 during the last six months of 2008”. This is certainly true for the Polk Library page, where the majority of fans are faculty and staff members. Facebook users in this demographic tend to create profile pages so as to reconnect with old friends and stay in touch with family rather than use Facebook as a way to make new friends and tell friends about themselves and their activities. It is important to note that Polk Library does not “friend” fans but maintains the fan page as a convenient place to access library information and services while on Facebook. Generally, fan sites offer mostly one-way interaction - from the site to the fans, in the form of very occasional updates and event notifications. Also, the fan page only has access to fans' public profiles, not their full profiles. Because fans are not friends, a significant level of privacy is maintained between library staff and fans or visitors to the library Facebook page. Specifically, the fan page does not receive status updates, images, notes or apps from fans. However, we encourage fans to post to our fan page wall and use the comment function to state opinions and ask questions. In fact, our Facebook page includes an area for discussion posts and we are currently soliciting input from fans on a variety of topics so as to improve access and services offered at Polk. We would like to hear from students, faculty and staff members, so please consider becoming a fan.
The federal and the Wisconsin state government have responded to the economic crisis by developing several informative web sites. It has been six months since the full extent of the crisis became evident last September. It was in September that Congress appropriated the funds that gave the then Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, the authority to "bailout" troubled financial institutions. That program became known as TARP, or "Troubled Assets Relief Program". In response to the questions of "how much" and "to whom", a web site was created providing this information that was demanded by Congress and the electorate. The original site was sponsored by the Department of the Treasury but has since morphed into FinancialStability.gov. The Financial Stability Plan outlined on this site was facilitated by the passage of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, passed early this year to provide legislative oversight of the TARP program. The web site provides comprehensive coverage of the Financial Stability Plan, including a clickable United States map that indicates which banks in each state were provided with bailout funds (including the dollar amounts). Bailout transactions are listed in pdf documents by date. The most noteworthy and well-known web site regarding the current economic crisis is Recovery.gov. This site was created in response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the first significant legislation initiated by and passed during the Obama administration. The plan, which is most often referred to as the stimulus plan, provides stimulus money for projects and programs for every state. This site outlines the funding opportunities available to public entities and private individuals and provides links to the recovery pages of participating federal agencies and also to the recovery web pages for individual states, including the State of Wisconsin recovery page. Another recent site developed pertaining to the U.S. economy and the federal government budget is USASpending.gov. This site has been developed in response to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 and has transitioned from a previous iteration as federalspending.org. The site provides detailed information on government contracts, grants and other award data. Information can be searched by awards for specific Congressional districts, the name of contractor or recipient (including states or municipalities), or by the agency of the federal government making the award. These sites, developed in response to the economic crisis, provide the transparency that is essential in our democracy. As we move forward and the full extent of the crisis becomes evident, there may be more disclosures, releases of information, and development of new government web sites providing access to this information.
You and your students now have a new source for finding online literary criticism. Provided by a consortial purchase by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), Gale Literature Criticism Online allows UW Oshkosh users to search for criticism on a variety of literary works, spanning hundreds of years and covering literary forms from novels to short stories to poetry. The database includes full-text from several Gale literary reference books, some of which are available in print at Polk, and some of which are new titles for our collection:
Each title in this database provides biographical information about a particular author, then compiles and provides full text of criticism (from other journals and books) on a single work or on multiple works by that author. You can access this database, on- or off-campus, from the library homepage (http://www.uwosh.edu/library/) – look for Gale Literature Criticism Online either in the alphabetical “List of Library Search Tools” in the middle of the page, or choose “English” from the “Find articles by subject” menu and use the link on that subject page. The default search in this database is “Keyword”, which will be a more general search and may find results that aren't as focused. To narrow your search and find critical works specifically about a particular title or author, switch the menu next to the search box from “Keyword” to “Named Work” or “Named Author”. One other search tip library staff have found – for works originally published in another language, you may need to search for the original, non-English title to come up with results. For example, a search for “Divine Comedy” does not bring up any criticism on Dante's work, but “Divina Commedia” does. If you have any questions about this new database, please feel free to contact a reference librarian. We would be happy to help you and your students make better use of this new full-text resource.
Please check your book shelves before the end of the semester. Polk Library materials can be renewed in two ways. You can renew them online or you can bring them to the Circulation Desk in the library. To renew online, see the instructions below. Some restrictions may apply. If you have any questions, please contact Jeanne Foley at x7315.
The first floor of Polk Library will be open 24 hours during the last week of classes, starting Friday, May 8th at 7 am and ending Friday, May 15th at 6 pm. We will again be brewing free coffee each night that week from 10 pm to 7 am. Stop by for a late-night studying pick-me-up, and save landfill space by bringing your own covered coffee mug. Polk Library will be closed Graduation Weekend, Saturday-Sunday, May 16 - 17, 2009. Spring Interim Hours, May 18 - June 5, 2009: Building Hours Reference Service Wisconsin Area Research Center and University Archives *Polk Library will also be closed Sunday, May 24 and Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day), 2009.
The annual library book sale, held April 14-15, was once again successful, drawing in large numbers of interested buyers from both the university and the outside community. Seventeen library faculty and staff, led once again by Ron Hardy, and with some help from student employees, worked hard to organize and set the sale up, staff the cash box, and dismantle everything again when the sale was over. There were people lined up in the lobby on Tuesday morning, waiting for the sale to start, and a few determined buyers continued searching even as unsold books were being moved back to the basement on Wednesday afternoon. Over 3,100 items were sold, including 2,563 books, 414 maps, 106 old National Geographic and Antiquities magazines, and smaller numbers of various media materials. The total amount collected was $1,043.75. The total number of transactions was 413; even though there were some repeat buyers, this still means there were 375-400 people who found things worth buying.
Spring is here, and for all you plant and garden lovers, the Leisure Reading Room (formerly the Browsing Room) has just the right books for you. New to the collection are books that include tips and advice to make growing your plants and garden a success this season. Check out these new books:
Enjoy the Read!
Edible: An Illustrated Guide to the World's Food Plants This fascinating, well-illustrated volume, published by National Geographic, provides information on a variety of “edibles” from around the world. Part One of the book presents a brief history of agriculture, food trade, and other food issues around the world. Part Two comprises the bulk of the book – “A Directory of Edible Plants”. Broken up into categories including fruits, grains, herbs, and spices, this section provides photographs of each plant, historical origins and how they were introduced to other areas of the world, botanical facts, and “culinary fare” – how different parts of the plant are used as food. Wondering where coffee originated and how it spread through the world? Curious as to how people use dandelions in dishes? Want to know what a breadfruit looks like? This book can give answers to all these questions and more.
Staff Highlights
|
Read past issues of Polk Library News
Current issue, printer-friendly version (pdf)
Articles in this issue:
~Top Library Databases for 2008
~Introducing Polk Library Course Pages
~Government Information News: Web Sites on Economic Crisis
~New Online Source of Literary Criticism
~Remember to Return or Renew Your Library Books
~End of Semester and Spring Interim Hours
~Annual Book Sale Brings in $1000