IMSA 21st Century Information Fluency Project

IMSA 21st Century Information Fluency Project

You information literacy types might enjoy.

(I won't tell you how I fared on the fluency test for searching web pages.)

-from ResourceShelf

New Product Announcement-->Patrologiae Graecae

Patrologiae Graecae

What the heck is this you may well ask?

" PG contains more than 160 volumes of Greek material (with Latin translations) relevant to the study of the history of the Christian Church from its beginnings through the Council of Florence in 1439.

J.-P. Migne, a priest from 1824-1833, moved to Paris and began the work of assembling an enormous body of early texts from 1833 till his death in 1873.

PG is a collection of the writings of the church leaders who wrote in Greek, including both the Eastern "Fathers" and those Western Christians who wrote before the Latin takeover of the West in the third century.

PG's coverage extends to 1439, the date of the Council of Florence."

How Google Scholar is used at the University of California

UC Libraries Use of Google Scholar

A nice little report. I think the comments will be useful in thinking of ways we could use Google Scholar in our own work.

Paul Pival publishes article on blogging

Blogging for the Distance Librarian
Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning
Volume: 2 Issue: 2

Based on user lookups, Merriam-Webster Online proclaimed “Blog” the word of the year for 2004.1 Distance librarianship, until mid-way through 2004, was a subject that was underrepresented in the blogosphere. The inception of a blog called The Distant Librarian: Comments on the world of Distance Librarianship is chronicled in this article, along with suggestions for how and where to get started, as well as how to incorporate blogs that support library services for distance students.

Emerald Interface Changes

www.emeraldinsight.com

We are very pleased to confirm that the new Emerald website will be launched this week. This is to ensure that the new website is in place well before the new student intake takes place for the majority of our customers in September.

All existing URL links into Emerald journals and databases will be maintained and will be fully operational.

JSTOR new titles

Dear JSTOR Participant,

We are pleased to announce that eighteen new titles have been added to the JSTOR archive.

Advances in Applied Probability
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 33 (1969-2001)

The American Journal of Psychology
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 114 (1887-2001)

APT Bulletin
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 32 (1969-2001)

Biogeochemistry
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 47 (1984-1999)

Cognition and Instruction
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 17 (1984-1999)

Copeia
New Content: Nos. 1 – 173; Vol. 1930 – Vol. 2001 (1913-2001)

Herpetological Monographs
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 15 (1982-2001)

Invertebrate Biology
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 118 (1878-1999)

Journal of Applied Probability
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 38 (1964-2001)

Journal of Architectural Education
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 48 (1947-1994)

Journal of Consumer Psychology
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 8 (1992-1999)

Journal of Educational Measurement
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 36 (1964-1999)

Journal of the American Academy of Religion
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 67 (1933-1999)

Journal of Vegetation Science
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 10 (1990-1999)

Polity
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 32, No. 2 (1968-1999)

Psychological Inquiry
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 10 (1990-1999)

The Review of Politics
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 63 (1939-2001)

The Virginia Law Register
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 20; New Series: Vol. 1 – Vol. 13 (1895-1928)

By publisher request, JSTOR is reducing the moving walls for two titles:

The Condor
New Content: Vol. 102 – Vol. 103 (2000-2001)
Moving Wall: 3 years (previously 5 years)

International Organization
New Content: Vol. 54 – Vol. 55 (2000-2001)
Moving Wall: 3 years (previously 5 years)

One title has been updated with previously missing issues no longer missing:

Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association
New Content: Vol. 1 – 10, 12, (1927-1936, 1938)

One previous title to a journal currently archived in JSTOR is now available. The Arts & Sciences III and Language & Literature Collections will now include this previous content related to the current title, Italica.

Bulletin of the American Association of Teachers of Italian
New Content: Vol. 1 – Vol. 2 (1924-1925)

Guidelines for Producing Recorded Demonstrations

Show Me! Guidelines for Producing Recorded Demonstrations

Abstract. Although recorded demonstrations (screen capture animations with narration) have become a popular form of instruction for user interfaces, little work has been done to describe guidelines for their design. Based on our experience in several projects, we offer a starting set of guidelines for the design of recorded demonstrations. Technical guidelines encourage users to keep file sizes small, strive for universal usability, and ensure user control etc. and provide tips to achieve those goals. Content guidelines include: create short demonstrations that focus on tasks, highlight each step with auditory and visual cues, synchronize narration and animation carefully, and create demonstrations with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Doesn't mention not eating your lunch while doing the voice overs.

-from Resource shelf

Update to L'annee philogique

The data of volume 74 for the year 2003 are online.

New features:

- the database is OpenURL compliant : libraries which subscribe to a Open URL provider can send us the relevant information (Name of provider and address).

- the search criteria and the associated results can now be saved from one session to another. The procedure to register online is simple and fast after you clicked on Save the search in the main window. To retrieve saved searches click on Search strategies on the navigation bar on the left.

- the abstract is now exported in the DAT format (text).
- the navigation system in the list of results is now of the type first / following / previous / last.

Collection Development Framework for Library and Archives Canada

Collection Development Framework for Library and Archives Canada

Important reading for Canadian Libraries. Five key directions are outlined

-Creation of a single LAC collection
-Collection of digital materials
-Focus on Aboriginal materials
-Focus on multicultural materials
-Development of a coordinate national approach

While the LAC remains dedicated to the collection of Canadiana, a quick read did not show any mention of academic materials. Many involved in the Synergies project understand the threat poised by the ephemeral nature of digital publication to Canadian scholarship.

-original link from ResourceShelf

Changes to EBSCOhost begin

Dear EBSCOhost Customer,

We are preparing to implement the EBSCOhost and EBSCOadmin features outlined in our message sent to you on July 15, 2005. You will begin to see the new features in the next few days.

For an overview of the key features in this software upgrade, please visit the Release Information table on our customer support site.

OVID HealthStar changes

(I'm not sure if we use the jumpstart syntax, but included the information just in case)

We are pleased to announce that Ovid HealthSTAR will be reloaded this week.

The reload includes journal records but no longer includes the small percentage of the database represented by non-journal records. It employs the current 2005 version of MeSH® and reflects other current MEDLINE® enhancements made by NLM®.

For example, HealthSTAR will now include the extensive and recently updated Clinical Queries feature to allow users to restrict search retrievals to clinically relevant studies. Also added are the PubMed subject limits as well as many new search fields. For additional details about new and deleted fields please see the Reload News.

As before the reloaded version is a source for citations to journal articles that are retrieved using the NLM HealthSTAR search strategy. It will support the old JumpStart syntax but coverage dates will change as shown below:



· hstr=HealthSTAR/Ovid Healthstar <1975 to May 2005> will become <1966 to June 2005>

· hstf=HealthSTAR/Ovid Healthstar <1987 to May 2005> will become <1999 to June 2005>

· hstb=HealthSTAR <1975 to 1986> will become <1966 to 1998>

Alexander Street provides free access to new index for personal memoirs

In the First Person

"This release of In the First Person provides in-depth indexing of more than 2,500 collections of oral history in English from around the world. With future releases, the index will broaden to identify other first-person content, including letters, diaries, memoirs, and autobiographies, and other personal narratives."

Not just Alexander street collections, but many many others.

A search for Calgary got 44 hits.

Welcome new librarian--Sociology & Communication Studies

Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Christopher Thomas has accepted a limited term assignment as Liaison Librarian for Sociology and Communication Studies. Chris will be joining us on July 4, 2005 and will be assigned the office which is being vacated by Kelli Bellew-Martin during her leave. Chris' phone number will be 220-7737 and his email address will be cthomas@ucalgary.ca .

Chris' most recent library experience was with the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology where he served for five years as Information Literacy and Public Services Librarian. Before that he worked in Calgary, from 1999 to 2000, as Business Information Specialist at TransCanada Pipelines library here in Calgary. Chris received his MLIS from the University of Western Ontario in 1999 and he has a BA (Honours) in Sociology from McMaster University.

Please keep an eye out for our new colleague and join me in welcoming him to the University of Calgary.

Regards,

Darlene

Darlene Warren

Welcome new librarian--English, French, Italian and Spanish Languages and Literatures

Colleagues,

Please join me in welcoming Diana Zimmerschied to Information Resources. Diana has accepted a limited term assignment as Liaison Librarian for English, French, Italian and Spanish languages and literatures and will be joining us on July 25, 2005. Diana will be assigned the office space which is being vacated by Mary Hemmings during her leave. Her phone number will be 220-6577 and we will forward an announcement of her email address when it is assigned.

Diana is a recent graduate of the University of Alberta's Library and Information Studies programme. She also has an B.Ed with Distinction (Generalist with a French as a Second Language minor) from the University of Alberta. She has worked as an elementary school teacher where she specialized in music instruction and French as as Second Language.

Please keep an eye out for our new colleague.

Regards,

Darlene

American Psychological Association launcheds Librarian's Resource Center

Librarian's Resource Center

Includes links to training and user support documents.

University of Texas to shelve the whole books thing

Variation on the information commons theme. Differs from our approach because the commons is separated from the books.

While the jury is out, I'm not sure I would have said that...
"content is now decoupled from context".

OCLC offering book sale links in Open World Cat

This article in Information Today outlines upcoming changes in Open World Cat and mentions that OCLC will begin charging Libraries to participate in OWC.

Some of the services

Serials--a union catalogue of electronic journals and sources. Libraries will be able to register resolvers so users can connect directly.

Reference--libraries that offer virtual reference can have a icon added to indicate this when users search for libraries that hold an item

Book Buying--users can buy books direct from Baker & Taylor, if a home library is named by the buyer, then the library will get a portion of the sales as a credit on their OWC invoice

whew!

New Product Announcement-->Religious and Theological Abstracts

Religious and Theological Abstracts

Provides objective summaries of articles appearing in scholarly journals in the fields of Religion and Theology. Database lists a wide variety of periodical literature, including Christian, Jewish, and other world religions, and provides English language abstracts of articles in English, Hebrew, Afrikaans, and major European languages. Indexes and abstracts articles in the fields of sociology, anthropology, criminology, demography, education, law and penology, race relations, social psychology, and urban studies. Coverage also includes policy issues in areas such as aging, violence, abuse and neglect, crisis intervention, urban development, and development policy.

New Product Announcement--->Evidence-based complementary medicine

Evidence-based complementary medicine


Research shows that many patients use herbs and supplements, but do not tell their healthcare providers. Furthermore, many patients do not trust conventional practitioners to be adequately informed about these therapies. This database is specifically designed to help healthcare providers overcome these challenges.

This scientifically accurate, comprehensive material is extensively referenced and regularly updated. It currently cites more than 12,000 published primary sources, many of them translated from foreign languages, and analyzed and integrated by healthcare professionals with extensive experience in the alternative medicine field.

This database:

* Covers over 75 medical conditions and more than 160 herbs and supplements
* Identifies potential interactions between herbal therapies and drugs
* Guides healthcare providers to ask appropriate questions to learn about their patients' usage of natural therapies
* Equips providers to knowledgeably answer patients' questions about the use of natural therapies
* Provides a summary of clinical research and rates the strength of evidence behind specific natural therapies
* Provides detailed and practical information on dosage and safety issues

Information and Communications Technology Assessment

All you info literacy types probably know all about this.

But in case you don't it appears to be a standardized test for information literacy.

"As part of the National Higher Education ICT Initiative, ETS and a group of colleges and universities have collaborated to create the ICT Literacy Assessment, a comprehensive test of ICT proficiency specifically designed for the higher education environment."

There is a short story about the test posted on Inside Higher Education.