The Lord of the Libraries: Return of the Book

Sometimes when you go to register you find you have a hold on your account. For some it is for a long forgotten library book that must be returned. This is the story of a brave band of students at the University of Kansas who must go on a quest to seek the help of the Lady Librarowyen. So before you embark on a quest for knowledge remember to Ask -A- Librarian. http://libweb.sfasu.edu/proser/ris/

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Hey!! Give me a way to search for books and articles at the same time!

You got it!
It is available now in STEENFIND, the Steen Library catalog.




Choose the Everything tab on the STEENFIND search page, then…
put in your search term(s) and click Find.




The screen will split into two distinct sections: one for "Books and More" and one for "Articles and More"!  This is your “one stop research shop”!


If you want learn more just Ask a Librarian

Tina Oswald toswald@sfasu.edu rm. 202f 936.468.1861 Subjects - Elementary Education, and Secondary Education/Educational Leadership

Think outside of the box!

We have all heard that phrase used when the person speaking is trying to get us to try something new or come up with a new idea. And, that is what the Texas Library Association was doing when they instituted the idea of Library Snapshot Day in 2010.
When it was announced that it was to be held this year and that a library could pick any day in the month of October of 2010, the Steen Research and Instructional Services Librarians decided to bring the idea to the SFASU campus and the Ralph W. Steen Library.  


 
Disposable cameras were placed at service desk throughout the library, with signs asking users to “take a picture, and leave the camera.” 








Some of the Library staff got in the act using digital cameras.


 

 
 

 

There were over 150 photos taken with the 10 disposable cameras.



















 Library users were shown using the computers in the lobby and LINC,




 


sleeping on the new furniture in the New Books area,







attending a Library Instructional session,























 





 getting tutoring in the AARC, etc.




 






 





        

So, on October 21 , 2010, we created a “snapshot” of a day in the life of Steen Library.


 

 
  If you did not participate, don’t worry!

 










 

We hope to make this an annual event!

 

Hunt for tech books on Safari

Safari Books Online is the premier on-demand digital library providing technology, digital media, business books, and videos online. Safari Books Online, is paid for and licensed by Steen library. Currently a Custom Safari Books Online Library that contains a specially-tailored subset of 115 titles available through Steen library's website and increasingly through the catalog SteenFind. Now when searching for books about Windows 7, your Smartphone, or on more technical topics, you will find the latest titles available online in full-text. For a more thorough search of the tittles, and to search the full text of these books go directly to Safari.

If there is a computer science book you would like to see the library purchase or a specific topic represented feel free to contact Phil Reynolds. New titles both online and in print are acquired by the library on an ongoing basis. Suggestions for the Computer Science Subject Guide are also welcome.

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Welcome Freshman

Welcome to new freshman and welcome back to our returning students. Here at Steen Library the research librarians are here to help you with your resource needs. The Ask-A-Librarian desk located on the 1^st floor in the Research Room (Steen Library Map) is great for walk-in research help and the phone number is 468-7299. You can also use the Ask-A-Librarian form to get help online. Subject specialty assistance is as easy as contacting your liaison contact. We are here to help you have a great and successful semester!

There is a new and easier way to find books at Steen Library.

On Monday, July 12^th, the library rolled out a new library catalog called SteenFind. SteenFind will allow faculty, staff and students to search for books and other library materials faster and easier than before by combining the advantages of the traditional structure of library catalogs with the ease of search engines.

Check out the new catalog at http://library.sfasu.edu/find/.

SteenFind will feature patron empowerment services and we believe will greatly enhance your search for materials. Please contact me or any of the Research librarians if you have any questions or comments.

You are now entering "The Quiet Zone"

A new Quiet Zone hits the fourth floor of Steen Library. Looking for a quiet study space away from the bustling crowds? Check out the entire fourth floor of the Steen Library which is now reserved for quiet study, free from the distractions of service desks, study groups, and cell phone conversations. Students can find a peaceful oasis with tables, study rooms, and study carrels throughout the floor. Last fall a library survey was conducted which revealed library users were unhappy with the ongoing noise levels in the library and other distracting activities that are counterproductive to individual study.

The Twilight Zone themed “Quiet Zone” was a design created by Ms. Devon Skinner a senior from Dallas, enrolled in the Illustration class taught by Aloma Marquis last fall. Quiet Zone signage will be placed on the fourth floor and furniture will be arranged in a manner conducive to individual study.

The second and third floors are available for group studying.

Success will be determined by the self-disciplined actions of library users, but any of the library service point, like the Circulation or InfoDesk, can be told about abuses. We are encouraging all library users to enjoy this new space especially during the stressful weeks ahead before finals.

Let us know what you think about the Quiet Floor or suggestions to make it better.

Susan Clarke Head of Research and Instructional Services sclarke@sfasu.edu rm. 202g (936) 468-1459

What to do When “No” is the Wrong Answer

Sometimes while doing some online research the database you are using will return no hits. You may see a message saying:

“No matches found”

“No records matched your search”

“No results were found”

This can be frustrating when you need the right answer, right article, or just the right book. Fortunately, there are a few of quick steps you can take when “No….” is the wrong answer.

First, check your spelling, most of the time when a database can’t find anything matching your query it is because you misspelled something. While Steen Library does not currently have any books on kenisiology it does have several about kinesiology. With Google You can find almost 3500 web pages about kenisiology, you might want use one of the 930,000 or so pages Google returns for kinesiology.

If you are still getting no hits on your search your next step is to make sure you are using the right database. When doing online research the axiom “use the right tool for the right job” holds true. If you want to find a book in Steen Library, use the library’s catalog. If you need a journal article, use a “General Database” or “Subject Database” listed on one of the library’s “Subject Guides.” If you need a web site check the “Websites” section of one of the Subject Guides, or use a search engine like Google, Yahoo, or Bing.

Next, make sure you are using the right terminology. Many times when searching refereed or scholarly journals searchers will use different terms than those used in the discipline. While you may tell someone you broke your collarbone, you would probably want to find the latest treatment methods by searching for articles about a broken clavicle.

Of course, you can always Ask A Librarian. Whether you Ask A Librarian at the beginning so you can get the information you need faster, or wait and ask as a last resort, the librarians at Steen Library are ready to help.

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

Related Posts:
RIS Recommends: Find a 4 Letter Word in the Library: HELP!
RIS Recommends: Quick Tips for Searching

Burn This Book

Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the Word, edited by Toni Morrison

Burn This Book has been chosen as the NetLibrary Book of the Month for October in acknowledgment of Banned Books Week (26 September – 3 October). Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of our First Amendment rights and our freedom to access information through reading.

Burn This Book is a collection of essays by prominent literary artists who discuss the importance of expressing ideas from various social and/or political viewpoints free from the fear of censorship. Emphasis is placed on both the importance of writing about real situations and the difference that writing can make. Contributors to Burn This Book include Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, David Grossman, and others.

This book is a must-have for librarians, teachers, and aspiring writers! Burn This Book will be available for free through NetLibrary until October 31, 2009 so be sure to take a look!
To Access NetLibrary via Steen Library you should first go to the Steen Library home page at: http://libweb.sfasu.edu then click on the Databases A-Z list on the left side of the page.

Once the database page appears click on the letter N or scroll down the list of databases until you arrive at the listing for Net Library.

Off campus, users will need to access NetLibrary and the library website via mySFA to gain access. After ther first visit to NetLibrary users can set up a personal account that will allow them to access NetLibrary anytime they are off campus without going through mySFA.

Other posts about Net Library on the RIS Recommends Blog include:

The Naked Roommate by Tina Oswald
eAudiobooks,NetLibrary and You by Kayce Halstead
SFA Internet Books by Bernice Wright

Erica Lopez z_lopezer@titan.sfasu.edu rm. 202j (936) 468-6270 Subjects - Anatomy & Physiology, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Limnology, Math/Statistics, Microbiology, Physics, Zoology

Reading, Writing and RECON : Military Professional Reading Lists

Roughly stated RECON is a mission to obtain information about an adversary, or the characteristics of an area. Today military professionals must know more about their profession and the world they live in, than ever before. For many gathering this information includes books, both electronic and digital. All branches of the military have recommended and/or required reading lists. The Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) at Fort Leavenworth, has one of the better-maintained list of these lists on the web. Their page of Military Professional Reading Lists links to more than twenty-five different lists. However, between the five branches of the military, their schools, commands, and civilian government the number of lists is almost impossible to enumerate.

As part of Steen library's collection development efforts, librarians will often use tools such as bibliographies and professional reading lists when purchasing materials to support learning, instruction, and research at SFA. For Military Science, the library has made a specific effort to acquire all of the books on "The U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List." (2004, this list has been superseded by the U.S. Army Center for Military History Professional Reading List) In addition many other titles from other military reading lists are part of the library collection. In an effort to make locating the hundreds of titles available at Steen Library from several of these lists, I recently created a spreadsheet this information and posted it on the web. The page "Combined Military Professional Reading List" provides easy access to titles owned by the library from many different lists. Links to some of the official lists are on the "List of Lists" page of the spreadsheet. The library owns almost all the titles from "The U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List", as well as many or most of the titles found on other reading lists. Through inter-library loan any additional titles not currently owned by Steen Library are readily available to the SFA community.

If you would like to recommend a favorite title or list of titles for Steen Library, contact your reference librarian.

R. Philip Reynolds preynolds (AT) sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy, Religion, Political Science, Geography, Kinesiology

eAudiobooks, NetLibrary and You

Check out Steen Library’s new collection of eAudiobooks online. You can view the most current list of titles at NetLibrary’s website. To get there from the Steen Library Home page, select the link Databases A-Z on the left side of the page, then from the list of databases, select “NetLibrary.” Once you are at NetLibrary's web site, select the link for eAudiobooks located on the right hand side of the page. This will take you to a list of over 500 audio books available online. You can search or browse the eAudiobooks alphabetically by Title or by Subject. New titles will appear every month. Eventually, all of the eAudiobooks available from NetLibrary will be added to Steen Library’s catalog, and you will be able to search for them there as well.

You can create your own NetLibrary user account by selecting "create account" on the top right side of the NetLibrary screen. After you create your user name and password, you will be able to access eAudiobooks and all the other online titles available to the SFA community from NetLibrary, with any computer connected to the internet. There is unlimited, simultaneous access, which means several people can have the same eAudiobook “checked out” at the same time.
When browsing the books, if one looks interesting, click on “show details” to find out what portable playing devices can be used and what file formats are available. You can listen to the eAudiobooks on your computer as well as most Mp3 devices.

For more information, concerning content available online or in print we encourage you to contact a librarian. For more information about NetLibrary you can Ask A Librarian or visit the NetLibrary Demo to learn how to create an account, search for eContent, or Download eAudiobooks http://www.oclc.org/netlibrary/demo/.

Kayce Halstead halsteadkay@sfasu.edu rm. 202g 936.468.1574 Subjects - Government Documents, Collection Development

Find a 4 Letter Word in the Library: HELP!

• We Are Here To Help
  
  Ever get that feeling that the only time a person is really there to help you is when it is convenient for them? That is why the Research Librarians in the Steen Library are there when it is convenient for you! We have set hours when there is a Research Librarian stationed at the Reference Desk on the first floor of the Steen Library. You say you have never seen the Reference Desk? Ever notice the desk over to the left as you walk in the front door of the Steen Library? Over it, in nice, big letters, is Ask-A-Librarian. That is the Reference Desk!!
  
  
  The Librarian hours are:
• Monday to Thursday—8 a.m. -9 p.m.
• Friday—10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Saturday—10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sunday—Noon-8 p.m.

If you do not see anyone at the desk during those hours, then ask at the Information Desk or Circulation Desk. They can tell you where we are, or even call us for you! We are here to help, so let us know what we can do for you!
Need us during times that we are not here? You can e-mail a Research Librarian at: https://forms.sfasu.edu/libweb/askalib.html

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin, new VP candidate for the United States, and her opponent Joseph Biden ...

NEED TO KNOW MORE -

Use the library to find out more about the candidates and other influential people. Look in the library resource, Biography Resource Center (Sorry, only SFA folks can use it). When trying to find information about a person, the Biography Resource Center can offer accurate info in addition to journal articles and websites. When you need to know more about a person, go to the library. Ask a librarian.

	Marthea Turnage mturnage@sfasu.edu rm. 202c 936.468.1896 Subjects - Accounting, Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, General Business, Law, Management/Marketing/International Business, Nursing, Psychology