SAIS Library News

RefWorks Workshop, Feb 17th

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:17:00 PST

RefWorks training is coming to SAIS

Learn how to use RefWorks to import, organize, and store references to books, articles, documents, and websites... anything you need for a paper or project. The session will also touch upon the Write N Cite feature, used to automate the process of creating a bibliography or footnotes.

Join us! We truly believe this tool will make your research/writing process easier.

When: Friday, February 17, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Where: Rome 200
Instructor: Librarian Ellen Keith, from the MSE Library on the main campus

RSVP: Sign up online now or at the Reference Desk in the Library

If you are interested, but not able to attend, see our RefWorks Guide - which has a great "Basics" PDF - or speak to a SAIS librarian.

Welcome, New Students!

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:58:00 PST

Here are six things you should know about SAIS Library:

Mason Library is on the top 3 floors of the Nitze building (1740 Mass), with the entrance on floor 6. We're happy to orient you when you visit.
If you're thinking ahead about papers / research and want to know which electronic resources to use, we have a concise list of Key Databases that might be a good starting point. Reference Librarians are glad to help too... (see #6!)
You can do research from home. More details on off campus access. It's easy.
Use these instructions to set up printing from your laptop.
Your blue "J-card" (JHU ID card) will serve as your library card. You should always know your JHED login ID ("lid") and password. They have multiple uses.
SAIS Librarians can help with any questions you might have. We're available Mon - Fri, 9-5, but feel free to call us at 202-663-5901 or Ask A SAIS Librarian online.

Spring 2012 Library hours.

The secret to better research at SAIS Library is...

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:56:00 PST

Want to make your research more effective - and faster? We're offering one-hour overviews of the Library's online resources.

A SAIS Librarian will demonstrate how to use JHU/SAIS resources to find scholarly materials, focusing on articles.

Friday, February 10th, from 2-3 pm
Wednesday, February 15th, from 12-1 pm
Friday, February 17th, from 2-3 pm

Sign up for a class!

Access to Course Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:11:00 PST

The arrow points to the electronic reserves link in Blackboard (normally you can see the password!)

Starting Monday, January 23rd, students will be able to access online readings (for courses in which they are enrolled), via Blackboard. On the left navigation in Blackboard, there is a link to Course Readings that has the course-specific password for the electronic reserves page (see screen capture above).

If you have any questions about reserve readings, please contact saisreserves@jhu.edu or call the Library at 202-663-5900 and ask for Steve Sears. If you are unable to see a class you think you are registered for, please contact Nathan Kreps. Thank you.

What is a wintry mix?

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:21:00 PST

Photo by jessabean via Flickr CC

SAIS Library, like the School, makes every effort to stay open on snow days. We have a webpage outlining our policy for emergency closings. You can also check JHU's Emergency notice page or the SAIS homepage.

If the Library does need to make a change in hours of operation, usually due to difficulties with staffing during a storm, we will try to post a notice via this blog and Twitter. Please also remember that you can access most library resources from off-campus with your JHED ID and password.

Ebooks at JHU

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 06:50:00 PDT

JHU libraries have over 1 million online sources, including ebooks.

Finding them in Catalyst is easy! Watch the clip above for tips and check out our guide to Ebooks at JHU.

Are you listening?

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:26:00 PDT

The Library's Circulation Desk sometimes gets requests for earphones/earbuds. We now sell* earphones for $1.95 a pair.

*For hygienic reasons, we don't loan these!

The secret to better research at SAIS Library is...

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:58:00 PDT

Want to make your research more effective - and faster? We're offering one-hour overviews of the Library's online resources.

A SAIS Librarian will demonstrate how to use JHU/SAIS resources to find scholarly materials, focusing on articles.

Friday, September 9th, from 2-3 pm
Tuesday, September 13th, from 12-1 pm
Friday, September 23rd, from 2-3 pm
Tuesday, September 27th, from 12-1 pm
Friday, September 30th, from 2-3 pm
Wednesday, October 14th, from 12-1 pm

Sign up for a class!

Catalyst: The JHU Libraries new catalog interface

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 06:25:00 PDT

The JHU Libraries are proud to launch Catalyst, a new interface for the JHU catalog, designed to make searching simpler and smarter.

There is a search box for the new interface on SAIS Library's homepage, so you use Catalyst now.

Highlights include:

Simplicity: A clean, uncluttered first screen with a simple keyword search box that searches all fields (title, author, subject, call numbers, etc).
Relevance-ranked results: Your search results are returned with the most relevant items at the top of the list. Or sort by year (newest to oldest), author, or title.
Intuitive searching: Refine your search using suggested limits that ensure accuracy without requiring knowledge of the Library of Congress subject headings.
Search results screens show you the terms you used to get to that result and allow you to easily remove specific criteria.
Date slider: Refine results to a particular span of years with the date slider feature.
Ebook access: Electronic books and other non-print materials are much easier to find in Catalyst.
Account management: Renew materials, request materials, update personal information, access saved searches, or add titles to a “bookmarked” list.
Cite this: Get citation suggestions in MLA or APA style for your results.
Text/e-mail options: Email or text book information so you can find your book in the stacks or have it in your saved texts/emails for later use.
Bookmarking searches: You can create a search and bookmark (using your browser's bookmarking feature). When you click on the bookmark again, it will re-run the search, updating the results set. Easy!

Catalyst is an open source project and was developed at Johns Hopkins by programmers and librarians from across the university and in collaboration with several other major research libraries. Please try it out and let us know what you think!

To watch a slightly larger version of this video, click here.

Welcome, new students!

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 07:27:00 PDT

Here are six things you should know about SAIS Library:

Mason Library is on the top 3 floors of the Nitze building (1740 Mass), with the entrance on floor 6. We're happy to orient you when you visit.
You can access electronic reserves (aka: your course readings) via Blackboard.
You can also access JHU resources from home. More details... it's easy.
Use these instructions to set up printing from your laptop.
Your blue "J-card" (JHU ID card) will serve as your library card. You should always know your JHED login ID ("lid") and password. They have multiple uses.
SAIS Librarians can help with any questions you might have. We're available Mon - Fri, 9-5, but feel free to call us at 202-663-5901 or just Ask A Librarian.

Fall 2011 Library hours.

Blackboard and Internet Explorer: Some tips

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:30:00 PDT

SAIS Library recommends using Firefox or IE8 / IE9. If you have an older version of IE, now is the time to upgrade.

Internet Explorer has strict security settings that may try to prevent links to external web resources in Blackboard (e.g. Course Readings) from opening immediately. If this occurs, you will be prompted to allow non-secure items to be displayed.

Internet Explorer 8
Click No to display the link properly.

You may also permanently change Internet Explorer's security settings to Displayed Mixed Content.

1. From the tool bar at the top of the browser window, choose Tools
2. Select the Security tab
3. Click the Custom Level button
4. In the Miscellaneous section, change the Display Mixed Content setting to Enable.

It is also helpful to have Explorer version 8 rather than an older one. ________________________________________

For more information about Blackboard, see the Academic Affairs Tech page

RefWorks gets a new look...

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:01:00 PDT

RefWorks has a new interface, RefWorks 2.0. By the end of 2011, it will officially replace the earlier version. Early adopters can start using it NOW, however, by clicking on RefWorks 2.0 at the upper right of the screen after logging in. SAIS Librarians are pretty keen on it!

If you've already been using RefWorks, take a look at this 15-minute video demo of the new 2.0 features.

New to RefWorks? Click here for a two-minute preview of its key features.

Welcome, Summer School students!

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Wed, 25 May 2011 08:14:00 PDT

Here are seven things you should know about SAIS Library:

Mason Library is on the top 3 floors of the Nitze building (1740 Mass), with the entrance on floor 6. We're happy to orient you when you visit.
If you're thinking ahead about papers / research and want to know which electronic resources to use, we have a concise list of Key Databases that might be a good starting point. Reference Librarians are glad to help too... (see #7!)
Your course readings are available via a link on the left side of each Blackboard Course Site.
You can do research from home. More details on off campus access. It's easy!
Use these instructions to set up printing from your laptop.
Your blue "J-card" (JHU ID card) will serve as your library card. You should always know your JHED login ID ("lid") and password. They have multiple uses.
SAIS Librarians can help with any questions you might have. We're available Mon - Fri, 9-5, but feel free to call us at 202-663-5901 or use our Email Reference Form.

Summer 2011 Library hours.

Last minute research? Catalyst can help!

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:57:00 PDT

Pressed for time for a paper? All the books you wanted are checked out? Don’t fear – Catalyst is here! It's the Hopkins Libraries' new catalog interface. One of the great new features is the ability to limit your search to online books.

You can try searching for all the books we have online with no worry of whether a classmate already has the print book checked out!

New York Times access: What next?

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:46:00 PDT

photo by Josh Kramer via Flickr

As most New York Times readers know by now, the Times no longer allows free access to online articles in excess of 20 articles per month per person.

The New York Times has indicated they plan to offer libraries site licenses in the future, allowing full access to students, faculty, and staff of any university that subscribes. In the meantime, if you need to access the full text of a NYT article and have exceeded your 20 article per month limit, options for accessing full text (though not always with the page images) include:

Access World News (1985 - present)
Lexis/Nexis Academic (1980 – present)
Proquest Historical New York Times (1851-2007)
ProQuest Newspapers Current (1980 – present)

The current print edition is available in the Library on reserve, with previous editions (as space permits) in the Newspaper Room on the 8th floor.

Those wishing to pay for their own online subscription can:

• Take advantage of an introductory offer of 99 cents for the first four weeks of access. See nytimes.com for more information on subscription rates, which vary depending on whether you want full access, access via smartphone, or via tablet.

• Call 1-888-NYT-COLL and order a weekly subscription to the Sunday New York Times at the student rate of $15 a week, entitling you to full online access.

Catalyst: A numbers game

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:00:00 PDT

Are you using Catalyst yet? Try it for your next "numbers" search! That's call number, ISBN, etc...

Catalyst is a new interface for the JHU catalog, designed to make searching simpler and smarter.

Catalyst: "The date slider"

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:58:00 PDT

Want to narrow your results to a specific time period? Or see everything published in the last couple years? Catalyst's date slider can help.

Catalyst is a new interface for the JHU catalog, designed to make searching simpler and smarter.

Catalyst: Your new favorite way to search

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 06:49:00 PDT

The JHU Libraries are proud to announce Catalyst, a new interface for the JHU catalog, designed to make searching simpler and smarter.

There is a link to the new interface on SAIS Library's homepage, so you use Catalyst now.

Highlights include:

Simplicity: A clean, uncluttered first screen with a simple keyword search box that searches all fields (title, author, subject, call numbers, etc).
Relevance-ranked results: Your search results are returned with the most relevant items at the top of the list. Or sort by year (newest to oldest), author, or title.
Intuitive searching: Refine your search using suggested limits that ensure accuracy without requiring knowledge of the Library of Congress subject headings.
Search results screens show you the terms you used to get to that result and allow you to easily remove specific criteria.
Date slider: Refine results to a particular span of years with the date slider feature.
Ebook access: Electronic books and other non-print materials are much easier to find in Catalyst.
Account management: Renew materials, request materials, update personal information, access saved searches, or add titles to a “bookmarked” list.
Cite this: Get citation suggestions in MLA or APA style for your results.
Text/e-mail options: Email or text book information so you can find your book in the stacks or have it in your saved texts/emails for later use.

I learned it from a movie: Online research tips

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:10:00 PDT

Sample video on how to use Lexis Nexis

Enhance your knowledge of library resources via the videos featured on the Library’s research guides:

On our RefWorks Guide:

• RefWorks in 15 minutes

On our News Guide:

• Introduction to LexisNexis Academic (8 minutes)
• LexisNexis Power Search (5 minutes)

On our Statistics Guide:

• Data and Statistics Resources for SAIS (a 73-minute recorded presentation by MSE Data Librarian Jen Darragh)

On our Citation Databases Guide (courtesy of MIT librarians):

• Web of Science: Overview (3 minutes)
• Web of Science: Tracking a Citation (5 minutes)
• Web of Science: Citation Map Feature (4 minutes)

On our Database Search Tips Guide (more from the MIT Library):

• Basic Search Tips (3 minutes)
• Boolean Operators (e.g., learn about using “AND” and “OR” to enhance a search) (4 minutes)
• Subject Headings (4 minutes)
• Truncation (2 minutes)
• Advanced Strategies (4 minutes)

There are thousands of feature films requestable from JHU's Eisenhower Library for one-week loan. Search a particular title, or to browse the collection, select Advanced Keyword Search; select Videos, DVDs, etc. under Material Type; then enter the keyword of your choice. If you’d like to hone your language skills, choose your language, and enter “DVD” as a keyword to browse all titles in the language.

...or take in some of the 150 films in the 19th annual DC Environmental Film Festival scheduled for March 15-27 in 60 venues.

New Energy Database!

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:35:00 PST

Environment & Energy Publishing (E&E) offers comprehensive, daily coverage of environmental and energy policy and markets. E&E contains four daily online publications considered “must-reads” by people who track and influence energy, environmental and climate policy. Sources include: Environment & Energy Daily, Greenwire, E&E News PM, Climate Wire, Land Letter, and E&E TV.

Access the database via the link or image above, or find it on the news source page of the Library's ERE Research Guide.
________________________

Related post: Using GREENR for energy research.

Writing on energy-related topics?

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:31:00 PST

If so, you really should try GREENR for academic journal articles, news stories, case studies, podcasts, conference papers, websites, blogs, encyclopedia articles, and more.

SEARCH TIPS:

Focusing on an issue? Try using the "Browse Topics" feature.
Focusing on a particular country? Go to the World Map, look for the "Browse" drop-down menu and select "Countries".

Meanwhile, have you seen our Energy, Resources, and Environment research guide?

New Spring '11: Six electronic resources from SAIS Library

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:25:00 PST

Latinobarómetro

New databases this semester...

Columbia Gazetteer of the World is now available online to the Hopkins community.

CSMAR (China Stock Market & Accounting Research) offers data on the China stock markets. To access CSMAR, log in to Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS). Note: if you have not used WRDS before, you will need to register for an account.

EBL Books is a web-based e-book lending platform. Thousands of online academic books are available for reading on or offline. Titles also appear in the JHU Libraries Catalog and are available for short-term “loan.” For more details about EBL, click here.

HathiTrust Digital Library, a project similar to Google Books, brings together the immense collections of key research libraries in digital form. The JHU Libraries are now a HathiTrust member, granting us access to the entire collection. You must login with your JHED login and password to have access to the entire site.

Japan Knowledge is a collection of Japanese language encyclopedias, language, historical and geographical dictionaries as well as biographical resources. It also contains news and intelligence databases.

Latinobarómetro (see image above) is an annual public opinion survey including over 19,000 interviews conducted in 18 Latin American countries.

New Spring '11: Library staff

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:27:00 PST

David Horowitz joined the Library’s staff in November as a technical services and electronic reserves assistant. He will also staff the Circulation Desk selected Saturdays and evenings. David graduated from the University of Maryland, where he worked for two years as a student assistant in McKeldin Library's Reference Department. He also interned at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

New Spring '11: Database enhancements

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:24:00 PST

China Data Online's new module, DemographicsNow China, offers rich demographic and business information for all 31 provinces, 345 prefecture cities, 2,873 counties, and over 50,000 townships.

CountryData, available through the Economist Intelligence Unit’s suite of databases, has added 50 countries to its database, for a total of 201.

EASI Market Planner is a new component of LexisNexis Statistical DataSets, providing data on US. consumer demographics and usage/spending patterns by state, county, census group, and block. Although the EASI module is limited to U.S. data, you can create customized tables, graphs and charts from a wide range of data resources, including World Bank, United Nations, U.S. government agencies, China Data Center, World Resources Institute and more.

Mergent Online, a key resource for business research, has new content, including:

• Industry reports for Latin America (in addition to Europe, North America, and Asia/Pacific)
• 30 years of daily historical stock pricing
• Enhanced searchability of both U.S. and international companies

Statesman’s Yearbook Online, a major reference source for country information and data since 1864, is now available in full text back to its first volume, providing a valuable tool for historical research.

Books online! A FAQ for "EBL"

noreply@blogger.com (Mason Library) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:12:00 PST

What is EBL?
EBL is a web-based e-book lending platform. Thousands of online academic books are available for reading on or offline.

If I want to browse or search just EBL, how can I do that?
There’s an entry in JHsearch for EBL. When you click on it, you’ll be prompted to enter your JHED login and password, regardless of whether you are on or off-campus. If you want to browse or search, look for the search box. You can choose “Category” and browse by broad subject, or “Advanced” for many other search options.

What is the loan period?
Books that have not yet been “purchased”: 24 hours
Books that have been purchased (i.e., that have been downloaded 3 times): choice of 4 or 7 days.

Are there fines for overdue EBL books?
No. When your time expires, you simply can’t access the book (even if you’ve downloaded it for reading offline) unless you initiate a new loan.

When the “loan period” has expired, will I be notified?
No. If you want to continue reading the book, you simply initiate a new loan.

Is there a way to keep track of the books I’ve used?
Yes. Click on Bookshelf to see the books that you’ve borrowed or accessed.

Is there a way to organize the titles I’ve used (or might want to use)?
Yes. Click on My Collections to create folders to store titles by subject or any other category, even if you haven’t actually used or borrowed the titles.

Can I print or copy books?
Printing and copying is governed by copyright, and usually limited to 10% of a book. You will see a message letting you know how many pages you can print or copy.

What if I want to read an EBL book offline?
When you click on Download, you’ll see a note saying that Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) is required to read all EBL ebook downloads. A link is provided.

Can I read EBL ebooks on portable devices?
Downloaded EBL ebooks can be transferred to any portable device that supports ADE. A list of compatible devices is available on the ADE website. Portable devices with browser support (such as the iPhone/iPad) can also access EBL and Read Online via the free Bluefire app, which supports ADE.

Is there a list of participating publishers?
Yes. Click on Advanced Search and go to Publisher. The drop-down menu lists all the publishers.

What publication years are covered?
The JHU Libraries’ arrangement with EBL includes books published in 2009 and later.

How often does EBL add new book titles to the catalog?
New titles are added monthly.