Andruss Library Science/Health Science Info

IOP Publishing announcment

2009-07-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

As of January 1, 2010, IOP Publishing will no longer be managing the on-line publication, subscription fulfillment, or open access service of the Journal of High Energy Physics (ISSN 1029-8479). The decision was taken by SISSA, JHEP's owner, to move JHEP from IOP Publishing, a not-for-profit society publisher, to Springer...

IOP's partnership with SISSA remains unchanged on three other titles: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (www.iop.org/journals/jcap); Journal of Instrumentation (www.iop.org/journals/jinst); and Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment (www.iop.org/journals/jstat).

I hope that you will continue to support our complementary high energy publications, Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics (www.iop.org/journals/jpg), Classical and Quantum Gravity (www.iop.org/journals/cqg ), and Chinese Physics C ( formerly High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics) ( www.iop.org/journals/cpc ) . I also take this opportunity to remind you of eprintweb.org, our user-friendly e-print service based on arXiv from Cornell University Library...

For more information on SISSA, please visit their website, www.sissa.it.

JoVE: Journal of Visualized Experiments

2008-10-01T17:08:00.000-04:00

I learned about JoVE at a recent workshop, and it's got great potential for teaching. Indexed in PubMed, Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) is a peer reviewed, free access, online journal devoted to the publication of biological research in a video format. Essentially, it publishes videos of experiments in the life sciences.

What exactly does it do? To quote their site:

JoVE takes advantage of video technology to capture and transmit the multiple facets and intricacies of life science research. Visualization greatly facilitates the understanding and efficient reproduction of both basic and complex experimental techniques, thereby addressing two of the biggest challenges faced by today’s life science research community: i) low transparency and poor reproducibility of biological experiments and ii) time and labor-intensive nature of learning new experimental techniques.

You can browse experiments by category:
Basic Protocols
Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Cellular Biology
Plant Biology
Microbiology
Immunology

...by date, by keyword, or use their search function. Sort of like watching baseball at home instead of at stadium. You can view closeups and instant replay if you missed something.

Designing library web sites

2008-09-20T16:13:00.000-04:00

Interesting article on the process of designing a library web site in the July 2008 issue of CRL, by Jennifer Duncan and Wendy Holliday, titled, "The Role of Information Architecture in Designing a Third-Generation Library Web Site." Among the tidbits:

Multiple types of usability testing are best (card sorts, rapid paper prototype testing, etc) as are ongoing usability testing
Your site should be user-centered, not librarian- or web-designer-centered
Have multiple paths to the same info on your site; there shouldn't be just 'one way' to get to a item
Collecting data about how users actually use your web site helps deflect any internal conflict among Web committee members who may disagree about the best design
The authors state their work on the Information Architecture Task Force took 6 months, but the actual design of site took 2 years

NIH mandate working

2008-09-20T14:59:00.001-04:00

Library Journal reports that the compliance rates for submission of papers based on publicly-funded research to the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central has dramatically increased since the National Institutes of Health passed its mandatory public access policy last year. Previously, NIH had a voluntary policy, and compliance rates were extremely low, approximately 4%. Since the mandatory policy was instituted, compliance rates have more than tripled. Conservative estimates place compliance rates in 55-60% range.

Following is more info on the policy taken from the SPARC/ARL white paper entitled, COMPLYING WITH THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (“NIH”) PUBLIC ACCESS POLICY: COPYRIGHT CONSIDERATIONS AND OPTIONS:

On January 11, 2008, the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) adopted a revised Public Access Policy for peer-reviewed journal articles reporting research supported in whole or in part by NIH funds. Under the revised policy, the grantee shall ensure that a copy of the author’s final manuscript, including any revisions made during the peer review process, be electronically submitted to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central (“PMC”) archive and that the person submitting the manuscript will designate a time not later than 12 months after publication at which NIH may make the full text of the manuscript publicly accessible in PMC.

Evidently coercion does work.

Inadequate prep to teach elementary and middle-school math?

2008-06-27T13:57:00.001-04:00

Chronicle of Higher Ed News Blog linked to a report released today by the National Council on Teacher Quality which gave college teacher-training programs "a failing grade for their preparation of teachers to teach elementary- and middle-school mathematics."

The advocacy group examined the curricula, textbooks, and assessment methods used at 77 undergraduate education programs and found that most programs had low standards of math knowledge required for entry and graduation, few devoted adequate time in the curriculum to courses on math content or math methods, and they rarely gave aspiring teachers an opportunity to practice teaching math.

Included in the report is a sample assessment quiz, entitled "Can Your Elementary-Teacher Graduates Pass This Test?".

The report lists specific colleges that are doing a good job and those that are not. (No mention of BU on any list.) And it also notes that PA is one of 29 states with requirements pertaining to foundations of mathematics, algebra, and geometry.

Mathematicians critique journal rankings

2008-06-17T17:13:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Jennifer J. Harbster on the ERIL list for a link to the Wall Street Journal's blog called "The Number Guy": Mathematicians Critique Journal Rankings

"Mathematicians are concerned about the academic world’s overreliance on questionable numbers. Three international math groups joined forces to issue a report last week decrying the use of citation statistics to evaluate scientific journals, research institutions and individual scientists. These statistics, sometimes called 'bibliometrics,' measure how frequently a given journal’s articles are cited by other journals. And they are used widely by libraries and universities to decide everything from which journals to subscribe to, to which scientists to hire."

New library databases

2008-04-25T20:27:00.000-04:00

Andruss Library has added a number of new databases to our Web pages:

ARTstor - a digital library of approximately 550,000 images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences. (Arts & Humanities)

CHEMLIBnetBASE - Over 180 volumes of chemistry research online, ranging from nanoscale and natural products chemistry to separation methods and surfactant science. Available from CRC Press/Taylor and Francis (Sciences)

CHEMnetBASE - Contains CRC publications: Combined Chemical Dictionary, Dictionary of Commonly Cited Compounds, Dictionary of Drugs, Dictionary of Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds, Dictionary of Natural Products, Dictionary of Organic Compounds, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Polymers: a Property Database, and Properties of Organic Compounds. (Sciences)

GreenFILE - Information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment, including scholarly, government and general-interest titles with content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. (Sciences)

Humanities International Complete - Provides full text of over 770 journals, books and other published sources from around the world, covering all aspects of the humanities. (Arts & Humanities)

IOPscience -Provides access to over 80 full-text journals in physics, across scientific, technical and medical disciplines. 1874 - present. (Sciences)

Kraus Curriculum Development Library Online - A searchable database of curricula, frameworks, and standards that brings together educational objectives, content, instructional strategies, and evaluative techniques for all subjects covered in PreK-12 and Adult Basic Education.

Lexis-Nexis Congressional - Contains legislative information including texts of bills, legislative histories, and Congressional committee hearings. (Social Sciences)

Points of View Reference Center - Provides help in understanding the full scope of controversial subjects. Use as a guide to debate, developing arguments, writing position papers, and for development of critical thinking skills. Each essay includes a series of questions and additional material to generate further thought. (General)

Ulrich's Web - Contains bibliographic and publisher information on more than 300,000 periodicals of all types — academic and scholarly journals, Open Access publications, peer-reviewed titles, popular magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and more from around the world. (Reference Sources)

U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 - Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, originally published in approximately 13,800 bound volumes. (Social Sciences)

If you have any questions, comments, or problems regarding the Library's databases, please contact me.

Andruss Library New Books -- RSS Feeds

2008-04-25T19:33:00.000-04:00

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds are a convenient way to have updated information from Web pages pushed to you automatically instead of going to those Web sites one by one. To use RSS feeds, you first need an RSS feed reader. Just do a Web search for 'rss feed reader' to find one. Or use the RSS feature built into Microsoft Outlook or the one in RefWorks, the Library's bibliographic management program (this latter option works well for RSS feeds created from your saved searches in most of Andruss Library's databases).

Andruss Library now provides RSS feeds for new books added to our collection. You can easily customize your RSS feeds for specific Library of Congress subject classifications. For example, click here for an RSS feed for newly acquired books classed in the Qs (Science).

For more information on RSS feeds, how to add them to Outlook, and a list of the New Book RSS feeds by LC subject, click here or contact me.

RefWorks makes research easier!

2008-04-11T13:43:00.002-04:00

If you've been using RefWorks, you know that the library's Article Linker button appears in your RefWorks' records. This button links you to the full text of a resource when available online or to the library's catalog, PILOT, when the resource is only in print (not electronic) format. For those databases which provide a permanent URL to full-text articles, like the EBSCOhost and ProQuest databases, you can paste that URL into the RefWorks' URL or DOI field for that record.

However, you can also attach a file to a record in your Refworks account or link directly to files on your computer from a RefWorks record. This option is useful when you have pdf files which you've obtained through ILL or document delivery and which aren't available in the databases. Just remember that if you attach files to your records, you're limited to 100MB, per account, for storage space; you're also limited to a maximum of 5MB limit per attachment.

Here are the steps to attach a file to a record:

Click on 'Edit' next to the desired record.
Click on 'Browse' next to the Attachments field within your record to locate the desired pdf/file.
Click on 'Add Attachment'. A thumbnail icon will appear when the pdf/file is attached.
Click on 'Save Reference'.

To link to a pdf or other file stored on a computer, follow these steps: [Note: This method works best using Internet Explorer. We recommend not using spaces or underscores in filenames.]

Click on 'Edit' next to a record and enter the file name and path in the links or url field. Precede the path and file name with the text file:/// (Example: file:///E:\reflinks\sample.pdf). The file or path name may not contain spaces. To compensate for spaces you must enter a %20 to replace the space. (Example: file:///E:\Reflinks\sample%20document.pdf). An easy way to get the path to your pdf is to use your web browser. Open your web browser and click on 'File' and 'Open'. Browse to where your file is located. In the location or address bar of your browser you will see the path to your filename, similar to the example above. Copy the complete pathway to your file.
In RefWorks, click on 'Edit' next to your desired record.
Scroll to the 'URL' or 'links' field and paste in the pathway information.
Click on Save Record.
Click on View to display your record with the linked file pathway. Simply click on that link to open and view the pdf or file.The link will only open the document on the computer where the pdf resides.

I recommend that you save files to your 'P' drive as you may have problems linking to documents in your C:\drive. (The inability to link from web pages to files on C:\ is a security feature that was introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2.) Have the files in a folder only one or two layers down.

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Using Blackwell’s Collection Manager for library book selection

2008-04-11T13:07:00.004-04:00

Most of the books added to Andruss Library’s book collection (called the ‘General Collection’) are purchased by means of an ‘approval plan’ with our book vendor Blackwell. Blackwell sends books to the Library automatically based on ‘approval plan profiles’ for each discipline, which faculty members themselves have created. Profiles are based primarily on subject parameters but also include parameters like publisher, location, cost, type or level of treatment and so on. Approval plan books are added automatically to the General Collection unless they are ‘rejected’ by the faculty library representatives.

In addition to the approval plan, books are also added to the General Collection by means of ‘firm orders’; that is, specific books may be requested for purchase by faculty members. Each department is allocated a sum of money based on a formula for this purpose. This money allows departments to fill in the gaps in the Library’s General Collection for student research and curriculum-related topics.

In the past, to facilitate the selection of ‘firm orders’ each academic department has regularly received paper forms based on their ‘firm order profile’ via their 'library representative.' However, the Library has begun a transition to electronic forms, called ‘Enotes,’ which will replace the paper firm order forms at the end of Spring 2008.

What does this mean to you?

First and foremost, no more paper slips to circulate!
Any faculty member can request an account to access Blackwell Collection Manager, which contains publication information for books in print and forthcoming. By use of this account, you can easily let your library representative know what books you would like ordered for the Library.
You can obtain more information about books from Enotes than from the paper slips, such as tables of contents, book jacket information, and book covers. Electronic books can also be previewed in their entirety online.
You can 'force' forthcoming books into Andruss Library's book approval profile, which means that your department's firm order money will not be used to purchase them.

I have been working with the different science and health sciences departments to help them make the transition and have been making presentations to a number of departments, department chairs, and library representatives. Departments are handling the new system of placing firm orders in a variety of ways; we're in somewhat of an 'experimental' phase with the new system. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments or would like more information.

American Natural History

2007-12-06T10:28:00.000-05:00

The Library owns 153 of the 264 American Natural History microfilm collection which is based on Max Meisel’s Bibliography of American natural history, 1769-1865 (published by Research Publications, Woodbridge, Conn., ca. 1977). Previously a user had no finding aid to locate a specific document on a reel, other than looking through each reel.

One of the library's work study students recently edited an existing online list to reflect our holdings. It's now possible to search this electronic list to obtain the reel number on which a specific document may be found. (Use the ‘Find on this Page’ feature in Microsoft Word.)
The link to the electronic list may also be found by going to the Library's Web page >> Collections >> Microforms and searching for "American natural history."

Users may either go to Meisel's Bibliography (in 3 volumes) to search for a topic or document and then go to the list, or they may search the electronic list using the 'Find on this page' search function, using simple key words. Part 1 contains periodicals and academy publications covering that time period (we have 104 of 203 reels for Part 1), Part 2 contains state geological and natural history surveys (we have all 30 reels for this part), and Part 3 contains reports of explorations (we have 19 of 31 reels).

The microfilm is shelved under Microfilm # 667 on the 1st floor of the Library; Max Meisel's Bibliography of American natural769-1865, is located in Reference, call number, Ref Z 7408 .U5 M5

Searching (almost) everything

2007-12-05T14:03:00.000-05:00

The Library acquired a new federated search service last spring, and since then we've been testing and refining it. What exactly is federated search? Simply put, federated search allows you to search across multiple databases using one interface. Some of you may have used our old federated search service, called Encompass. Our new service, still called Discovery Search, uses WebFeat Express technology to search approximately 90 of our bibliographic databases.

So how might you use the service?

Use it to identify what databases are generally suggested for your discipline. If you check the box for for your discipline, databases are automatically selected. You can then either search across those selected databases OR you can click on the link to an individual database to get to the native interface for that database.
Use it to search across all (or almost all) databases to identify those you might not normally use but which contain relevant research. Since the results link directly into the databases' native interfaces, if you want to go into that database for a more comprehensive search (using controlled vocabulary, etc.), you can.
Export records directly into RefWorks. Just mark the records, select 'Save', and select 'Direct Export to RefWorks'. The citation, with Article Linker link, will be moved into your RefWorks account. Or email or print out the results instead. (NOTE: the abstract is not exported to RefWorks, just the 'bare bones' citation.)

As always, if you have any questions about using this or any other library resources, just ask.

New Database -- Sage Journals Online

2007-12-03T21:31:00.000-05:00

This semester the Library gained access to SAGE Journals Online through a consortial deal through PALINET. We now have access to over 485 full-text SAGE journals in Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science, Technology and Medicine, some of which are listed below by subject area. Linking from within any library database (including Google Scholar on campus) will be seamless.

All SAGE journal content is peer-reviewed. Over 50% of the journals are covered in the Thomson Scientific Databases, 47 of which rank within the top 10 in their subject category in the 2004 ISI Journal Citation Reports.® SAGE’s electronic journal package represents one of the largest collections in the social sciences and now includes an extensive STM list as well.

Science & Technology
General Science
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society
International Regional Science Review
Science Communication
Science Technology & Society
Science, Technology & Human Values

Biological & Health Sciences
Journal of Biological Rhythms
Journal of Biomaterials Applications
Journal of Biomolecular Screening
Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Chemistry
High Performance Polymers
Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers
Journal of Composite Materials
Journal of Elastomers and Plastics
Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics
Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids
Simulation & Gaming
Statistical Modelling

Geography
Cultural Geographies
Environment and Behavior Environment and Urbanization
International Journal of Rural Management
Progress in Human Geography Progress in Physical Geography

Geosciences
The Holocene

Physics & Electronics Engineering Technology
Building Service Engineering Research and Technology
Concurrent Engineering
International Journal of Damage Mechanics
International Journal of High Performance Computing Applications
The International Journal of Robotics Research
Journal of Vibration and Control
Lighting Research and Technology

Medicine
General Medicine
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
American Journal of Medical Quality
American Journal of Men's Health
Angiology
Autism
British Journal of Visual Impairment
Chronic Respiratory Disease
Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis
Clinical Pediatrics
Complementary Health Practice Review
Dementia
The Diabetes Educator
Evaluation & the Health Professions
Health Education & Behavior
Health Education Journal
Health Informatics Journal
Health Promotion Practice
Home Health Care Management & Practice
Human & Experimental Toxicology
Journal of Aging and Health
Journal of Applied Gerontology
Palliative Medicine
Qualitative Health Research

Audiology & Speech Pathology
Child Language Teaching and Therapy
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
The Neuroscientist

Exercise Science
The American Journal of Sports Medicine
Clinical Rehabilitation
Journal of Sport & Social Issues
Journal of Sports Economics

Nursing
Biological Research For Nursing
Clinical Nursing Research
Journal of Family Nursing
Journal of Holistic Nursing
Journal of Human Lactation
Journal of Research in Nursing
Journal of Transcultural Nursing
Nursing Ethics
Nursing Science Quarterly
Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice

Library instruction and student information fluency

2007-12-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

Would you like your students to become more familiar with the library’s resources and confident about finding the best resources for your class assignments? I would be happy to design a library instruction session specifically for your students, focusing on information that your students will need to complete the assignments in your class.

Just phone or e-mail to schedule a session. You can reach me via telephone (x4801) or e-mail, or you can directly request times and dates for Library Instruction sessions at http://libraryinstruction.bloomu.edu/. I look forward to working with you!

Web-Based Resources for Journal Rankings

2007-12-03T20:20:00.000-05:00

From a colleague, I recently learned about three free online resources that may be useful for citation analysis and locating information about the value and prestige of scholarly journals.

SCImago Journal & Country Rank (http://www.scimagojr.com/index.php) is a “portal that includes the journals and country scientific indicators developed from the information contained in the Scopus® database (Elsevier B.V.).” These indicators could be used to assess and analyze scientific domains.

Eigenfactor (http://www.eigenfactor.org/) is a “non-commercial academic research project sponsored by the Bergstrom lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington that provides influence rankings for 7000+ science and social science journals and rankings for an additional 110,000+ reference items including newspapers, and popular magazines.” For an explanation of their rankings, click on the Information tab and choose 'Why Eigenfactor' from the menu.

Journalranking.com (http://journal-ranking.com/ranking/web/index.html) is a service that “introduces two new indicators relevant to journal quality by considering both the journal influence index and the paper influence index.” To use, mouse over 'ranking' and select 'common ranking', then select from among the categories in the drop down list of journals to be ranked. You can use this feature without registering, but if you register you can create a profile that will enable you to create your own reports and participate in type of social community service for faculty.

As always, please let me know your thoughts on the usefulness of this resource.

RefWorks now available: "You Write it, We Cite It"

2007-11-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

I’m pleased to report that Andruss Library now offers RefWorks, a bibliographic management program similar to EndNote. It's available through our Web page to students, faculty, and staff. Unlike EndNote, which must be downloaded on a computer, RefWorks is Web-based and is relatively easy to use. RefWorks provides many useful features that let you

-Format a bibliography in virtually hundreds of styles
-Format footnotes & endnotes
-Format in-text citations as you write
-Find references from online catalogs (including Andruss Library’s, Library of Congress, etc.)
-Import from most of our online databases
-Store your research
-Organize your research
-Share your research with others

Students at the Reference Desk to whom I've shown RefWorks have immediately grasped its value. One student informed me she did not mind taking the time to learn programs like RefWorks because she saw how it would save her time. The program can be used to whatever "depth" the student (or faculty member) desires. Graduate students will obviously find it useful when writing papers/theses since it works with Word in either Windows or Mac to do in-text citing. But freshmen will also want to use it instead of the free program, Citation Machine, to format their citations since it will save the references for later use (and reuse).

RefWorks interface is relatively intuitive, and their online tutorials in either print format or audio can quickly bring you up to speed or provide you with a quick refresher on how to do something.

For more information about RefWorks or to create your account, go to the Library Web page > Citing Sources > General > RefWorks, or contact me.

E-Notes are Coming!

2007-11-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

Beginning sometime during Spring 2008, the Library will eliminate the print Blackwell forms for book selection and switch to online "E-Notes" instead. We'll be offering vendor training in using the system in January, and I am always available for one-on-one help so that you can easily make the transition. I'll be creating Blackwell Collection Manager accounts for any and all faculty members who want one.

So, why would you want a Blackwell Collection Manager account?

- To see what books have been published or are forthcoming by browsing Library of Congress classes -- helpful if you're considering publishing a book or are looking for trade books for classroom use
- To examine tables of contents, book jacket information, and more detailed book information about virtually any book published since 1998
- To view lists of Blackwell's bestsellers, award winners, reviewed titles, including Choice and New York Review of Books, and other special subjects.
- To know what books are coming in on the Library's Approval Plan for your discipline

NOTE: There's a useful online FAQ available online.

I'll be contacting Library Representatives for each department in the near future to discuss how best to adopt (and adapt) the system for each department. The goal is to save time and make book selection easier for faculty. Eventually, departments will be able to review their 'forms profile' online (instead of looking at the paper forms) and to request the ones they want online.

Andruss Library Video Tour

2007-11-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

This summer we filmed a virtual library tour of Andruss Library, and it's now available in YouTube. Covering all 4 floors of the Library in about 8 minutes, it gives viewers a nice overview of the Library's resources and services.

Effective Research Assignments

2007-09-04T12:44:00.000-04:00

As a follow up to Darla's, Katie's and Linda's TALE session on 9/13/07, the following Web pages provide some specific examples of assignments that effectively incorporate library resources.

Alternatives Assignments Requiring Library Research (It's not a research paper) - this Webpage is frequently cited; from the Columbia Gorge Community College Library.

Assignment Ideas that Develop Information Literacy - this page also provides some specific sample research exercises/assignments; from Pace University Library.

Creative Assignments Using Information Competency and Writing - includes sample assignments from a number of disciplines, plus tips for developing assignments; from Ohio University Libraries

Creative Library Assignments from Gustavus Adolphus College Faculty - librarians have compiled this directory-by-subject of creative research assignments devised by their faculty.

Ideas for Library/Research Assignments - over 30 specific assignments, across a variety of disciplines; from the Community College of Baltimore County Library.

Information Literacy for Teaching and Learning - assignments developed or refined by faculty at a James Madison University 2006 Workshop.

Preventing Plagiarism: Some Strategies - Gretchen Pearson, Librarian, Le Moyne College, provides some suggestions on how to structure assignments to prevent plagiarism.

Term Paper Alternatives ...or...So you'd like your students to use the library but don't want to assign a research paper? - UC-Berkeley Library obtained Miriam Joseph’s permission to publish her tips for discipline-specific assignments, which do not involve writing a major paper.

Want Better Research Papers? - a really comphrehensive Web page, from Susan Herzog at Eastern Connecticut State University, which links to many specific examples of lessons and assignments to help students improve their writing.

Against Perpetual Copyright

2007-06-13T18:59:00.000-04:00

From LISNews -- "Lawrence Lessig, law professor and champion of the public domain, has created a Wiki to respond to the op-ed by Mark Helprin arguing for perpetual copyright." Click here.

An interesting discussion of the purpose of copyright. I thought the closing quote from Macaulay in 1841 was right on still: "Copyright is monopoly, and produces all the effects which the general voice of mankind attributes to monopoly . . . I believe, Sir, that I may with safety take it for granted that the effect of monopoly generally is to make articles scarce, to make them dear, and to make them bad. And I may with equal safety challenge my honourable friend to find out any distinction between copyright and other privileges of the same kind; any reason why a monopoly of books should produce an effect directly the reverse of that which was produced by the East India Company's monopoly of tea, or by Lord Essex's monopoly of sweet wines. Thus, then, stands the case. It is good that authors should be remunerated; and the least exceptionable way of remunerating them is by a monopoly. Yet monopoly is an evil. For the sake of the good we must submit to the evil; but the evil ought not to last a day longer than is necessary for the purpose of securing the good." -- Thomas Babbington Macaulay, in a speech to Parliament on February 5th 1841.

Finding Andruss Library materials more easily on the Web

2007-05-04T20:18:00.000-04:00

Two things have happened this semester that make Andruss library resources significantly more accessible via Web search.

First, we've enabled article linking within Google Scholar so that on a results screen, users will see links for "Full-Text@BloomU" or "CheckAvailability@BloomU." If they click on the links, they will go either to a full-text article or to the library catalog with information on where the aricle is in print (not electronic). Click here to see a sample search run on Google Scholar.

Off-campus users may enter Google Scholar via our "Databases (A-Z)" page and authenticate using their Library # (lower left corner of BU ID card) to have the links display.

Second, we have made all the information about our holdings -- books, videos, journals, etc. -- completely available via the open Web. We have been able to do this by subscribing to WorldCat, the database for bibliographic information, used by over 57,000 libraries worldwide. Formerly to see whether or not Andruss Library owned a book, you would have had to search PILOT, our catalog. Now, you can go to the Web and search a variety of search engines and Web sites, including Google Books, Yahoo!, WorldCat.org and so on, to find books in Andruss Library. Whatever search engine you use, look for the links to 'Library Search' or 'Find in a Library'.

EndNote Web Available through Web of Science

2007-04-28T13:40:00.000-04:00

Web of Science, the database which contains the Science & Social Sciences Citation Indexes online, has now made EndNote Web available for free. EndNote Web, of course, is a web-based software used to manage bibliographic citations and searches.

Users may create a free account when they log in to Web of Science. Doing so will allow them to save searches and references for future use as well as format their bibliography according to over 1,000 different styles. Styles included are for ACS and SIAM journals, and the journals, Audiology and Otology, Cell, Professional Geographer, Nursing Research, Physical Review Letters, Sports Medicine, etc.

For more information, go to http://isiwebofknowledge.com/endnoteweb/.

U. S. College Books: Average Prices and Price Indexes, 2006

2007-04-28T10:54:00.000-04:00

The May issue of Choice has just published the average price of U. S. college books by discipline. For most of the disciplines for which I am liaison, here are the prices for 2006 (using 1989 as base year):

Biology -- Botany -- $ 73.06
Biology -- Zoology -- $ 66.16
Chemistry -- $110.55
Earth Science -- $ 61.15
Engineering -- $107.70
Health Sciences -- $ 61.15
Info & Comp Sci -- $ 57.19
Math -- $71.00
Physics -- $ 67.93
Sports & Phys Ed -- $ 40.39

The average price for all disciplines for 2006 is $ 56.24.

Information Literacy for Speech-Language Pathologists

2007-04-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

I found an interesting article, published in Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools entitled, "Information Literacy for Speech-Language Pathologists: A Key to Evidence-Based Practice" (July 2006). You can view an abstract here.

The article discusses how the requirements of evidence-based practice mesh (or don't mesh) with information literacy. Written from the practicioner's point of view rather than the librarian's, it provides a number of specific search strategies and discusses why or why not they're effective. I definitely will be referring to it the next time I teach the speech path students, and in fact, most of the health care students.

Journal Subscriptions

2007-04-20T13:28:00.000-04:00

The Library has added a number of journals this semester (in bold) and has changed a number of subscriptions from print to online:

AUDIOLOGY/SPEECH PATHOLOGY

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (changed from print to online)
Anesthesia & Analgesia
Anesthesiology
Annals of Surgery
Brain
British Journal of Anaesthesia
Canadian Journal of Anesthesia
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Clinical Neurophysiology
Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders (print only)
Dysphagia
Gamma Knife
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing
Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology
Journal of Communication Disorders (print to online)
Journal of Fluency Disorders
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
Journal of Neurosurgery
Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics
Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (print to online)
Journal of Voice
Neurology
Neurosurgery
Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
Otolaryngolgic Clinics of North America (available in print only)
Practical Neurology
Seminars in Hearing
Spine
Trends in Amplification (print to online)

BIOLOGY/CHEMISTRY/GEOSCIENCES (all have changed from print to online)

Analytical Biochemistry
Animal Behaviour
Bioorganic Chemistry
Cell
Cellular Immunology
Computational Biology and Chemistry
Developmental Biology
Disease Markers
Ecological Applications
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Experimental Cell Research
Fungal Genetics and Biology
Heart and Lung
Hormones and Behavior
Journal of Genetic Counseling
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
Neuropsychologia
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

EXERCISE SCIENCE

European Journal of Applied Physiology
Sport Psychologist
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (changed from print to online)
Journal of the American Dietetic Association (print to online)

MATH/COMP SCI/STATISTICS (all have changed from print to online)

American Statistician
Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics
Journal of Number Theory
Journal of the American Statistical Association
South African Statistical Journal
Technometrics

NURSING

American Journal of Medicine (changed from print to online)
Applied Nursing Research (print to online)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (print to online)
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing (print to online)
Journal of School Nursing (available in print only)
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing (print to online)
Journal of Pediatric Health Care (print to online)
Journal of Pediatric Nursing (print to online)
Journal of Professional Nursing (print to online)
Nursing Forum (print to online)
Nursing Outlook (print to online)
Pediatrics (print to online)