Monday, October 12, 2015

Your Learning Toolbox (Fall 2015 edition)



Welcome new and returning students! Have you taken full advantage of the librarians and Library website? Consider the following whether you're a novice or an ol' research pro.

Cultivate your research & critical thinking skills

Use the "Ask Us" bulldog to meet or speak with, chat or email a member of the library faculty. Contact us when you're developing ideas for a research topic, deciding to use or forego a source, identifying useful search terms, or any other activity that makes use of information sources.

Use Research Guides (by subject and course)

Library faculty have crafted these guides to help you learn about research strategies, habits of mind, and anything else that can develop your scholarship, including recommended resources.

Get quick answers to questions with "How Do I?"

Use "How Do I?" when you want to know, "How do I renew my books? How do I read scholarly articles? How many items may I borrow at a time?"

Read a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper

Sometimes your professor will recommend a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper. To see if the library has it, go to Article Databases & Online Resources and click the "Find a journal, magazine, or newspaper" button to search.

Look up a specific article

When all you have is a citation and you want full text, if the item being cited is an article go to Article Databases & Online Resources and click the "Look up a specific article" button to search.

Find a book

To locate a book or a book chapter, print or online, use the Library Catalog. To access online books, click on the hyperlink provided in the record, to find print books look at the book's location, call number, and availability. Click on the location (e.g. Reference, Periodicals, etc.) to view a map.

Find more books & media in Link+

When searching the Library Catalog, extend your search by clicking "Find in Link+" near the top of your screen. Link+ is like a quicker version of interlibrary loan for books and media only.

Save it to a list

When you search the Library Catalog and find a book, music score, CD, or DVD but don't have time for just yet, save it to a list. Select the item, click on "Save," and select the list to which you'll save it.

Request, Recall, or Place a Hold

Ever search for something in the Library Catalog and find it's not available? Request, recall, or place a hold by selecting the item, then click on "Request" and follow the directions provided.

Recommend a Library Purchase

Found an excellent book that's missing from the Library Catalog? Log into your library account and suggest that the Armacost Library purchase it and list the course(s) to which it relates.

Receive Alerts When the Library Acquires Something You Like

If you've made a purchase suggestion or if you simply want to know when Armacost Library acquires the latest book from your favorite author log into your Library account, run a search, then click "Save this search." To receive an email when a new title matching your search arrives, view your record, click on "Saved Searches," and select the "Mark for Email" box.

Do you have a favorite learning tool? Let me know by adding a comment below.

Thanks,
Paige

Paige Mann
Physical Sciences Librarian and Web Experiences Librarian

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