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!

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

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

CRS Reports Congress' not so Secret Weapon for First Class Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Library Association (ALA) today sent letters to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), thanking them for introducing S. Res. 118, legislation to allow no-fee public access to taxpayer-funded Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports.

The CRS produces well-researched and balanced reports on a wide variety of current issues affecting our citizens and country. Unfortunately, CRS reports are not systematically made freely available to the public through the Federal Depository Library Program or any other means. No-fee public access to these reports has been a goal the ALA has pursued for many years.

The CRS home page describes its service to congress as providing independent and professional "analytic capabilities" with the capability to "integrate multiple disciplines and research methodologies. In a fast-paced, ever-changing environment,". The site goes on to say that the "CRS approaches complex topics from a variety of perspectives and examines all sides of an issue. Staff members analyze current policies and present the impact of proposed policy alternatives, even if it means bringing to light facts that may be contrary to established assumptions. With public policy issues growing more complex and political debate turning more contentious, the need for insightful and comprehensive analysis of the issues has become vital. Congress relies on CRS to marshal interdisciplinary resources, encourage critical thinking, and create innovative frameworks to help legislators form sound policies and reach decisions on a host of difficult issues."

Wouldn't it be great if you could get access to this type of information on issues not ten years after the event in a book or filtered, slanted, or chopped up into sound bites as so often happens in political reporting of the day? Well at the risk of losing my ALA membership card, I will let you in on a librarian secret. You can get access to thousands of CRS reports that have already been released, or leaked to the public. Most of them would be difficult if not impossible to find using Google. Fortunately, several libraries and organizations have created online collections of these reports for public access on the Internet. Finding the right report for your research involves choosing the right collection of CRS reports to search.

Full text PDF versions of thousands of CRS reports are available at the OpenCRS site http://opencrs.com/. They act as a clearinghouse or central access point for CRS reports however, they do not have all the reports that are available online. While this source appears to have the most current overall coverage, subject access is provided by many groups including the ones listed on the OpenCRS collections page. http://opencrs.com/collections/

According to the web site OpenCRS
http://opencrs.com/ taxpayers pay nearly $100 million dollars a year to fund the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress.

• National Council for Science and the Environment/National Library for the Environment
  http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/
  


• Thurgood Marshall Law Library/University of Maryland School of Law
  http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/index.html
  


• US Department of State Foreign Press Centers (FPC)
  http://fpc.state.gov/c18183.htm, PEPFAR
  CRS Reports,
  


• Franklin Pierce Law School Intellectual Property, Cyberlaw, and Electronic Commerce
  


• Federation of American Scientists Intelligence, Military and National Security
  

Two other clearing houses for CRS reports include the massive Archive IT directory (http://www.archive-it.org/collections/1078) and the web site WikiLeaks which reportedly uploaded 7000 CRS reports recently. The collection of CRS reports at the WikiLeaks site provides not only a full text search of the reports, but an alpabetical list, and (possibly the most significant contribution for research and analysis) a chronological listing of CRS reports.

For those who want to be sure that no virtual stone is left unturned you may want to do one final search with a Google Scholar. Use the advanced search feature with "Congressional Research Service" as an author. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=&num=30&btnG=Search+Scholar&as_occt=any&as_sauthors=Congressional+Research+Service&safe=off

When you need some of the best and most current information Congressional Research Service reports a hard to beat. Now you have a secret weapon of sources for your research papers that is sure to impress your teachers and improve your grade.

This blog will self-destruct in 10 seconds…

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

Pop Quiz. The Alarm Sounds. What do You Do?

Thursday...

April 16, 2009 8:00 a.m.

Several threatening signs were found posted on and off campus this morning. The signs found on campus stated “4-16-09 A shooting will occur today and students will die.” Several signs were also found off-campus at the Grove apartment complex stating “4-16-09 10 people will be killed and shot at the grove.” While these messages are disturbing, there have been no other indications of a threat. Classes will continue as scheduled. Police patrols have been increased today. We ask that students, faculty and staff be vigilant and notify University Police immediately if they witness any unusual activity. Any updates will be posted on this site.

What was a catchy phrase for a movie in 1994 is now a scary possibility for some in 2009. Did you know what to do Thursday? The university has detailed plans and procedures for dealing with emergencies.

Pop Quiz. Fire alarms go off in the building, what do you do?
Fire
Pop Quiz. Weather alert alarms go off, what do you do?
Weather
Pop Quiz. Hazardous chemical spill forces an evacuation the alarms go off, what do you do?
Evacuation
Pop Quiz. A gunman starts shooting on campus, alarms go off, what do you do?
Armed Subjects
Pop Quiz. Someone makes physical threats, what do you do?
Disruptive Individuals
Pop Quiz. Someone is having a heart attack, what do you do?
Automatic Electronic Defibrillators (AED)

What do you do? You should be prepared by reading emergency procedures ahead of time, and then practicing them. You can also learn about preparedness and survival in almost any situation from books and other materials in the library.

That's what you do.

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

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

Is the Whole World Going Broke?

Over the past couple of weeks many of us have been growing more and more concerned about the fiscal crisis on Wall Street that is spreading to what the pundits call "main street" (in other words, all the rest of us who don't work on Wall Street). Over the last couple of days it has become apparent that there is now an international crisis. This morning everything sounds so bad that a worldwide depression is being talked about.

For sometime now our university faculty has added international studies to the curriculum in a growing number of disciplines. International business, hospitality, nutrition, political science, anthropology, communication, etc. I won't even attempt to name every program that includes international or intercultural components. All of us have become more aware of how internationally intertwined so many aspects of our lives have become.

Here in the library we often have questions from students looking for demographic, trade, and cultural aspects of other countries. This semester we are pleased to announce the addition of a database to our library that will help immensely with the cultural aspect of these assignments. The database is called CultureGrams Online. Aside from the population and government statistics that you can find in a number of country profile products, this database includes information on family, housing, diet, recreation, dating and marriage customs and several other aspects of lifestyle. Check it out when you have a chance. You'll find that it will not only be helpful academically, it will also be useful for Scout Troops, university and civic organizations, or planning your next vacation. Everything from recipes to common courtesies and greetings is covered. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

Bernice Wright bwright@sfasu.edu rm. 202j 936.468.1528 Subjects - Agriculture, Forestry, Human Sciences, Human Services, Speech/Communication

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

Losing a Friend and Colleague

He was almost eighty years old, but the call on that Sunday afternoon informing me of his death was still a shock. Don had been on vacation for three weeks and was scheduled to return to work on Monday. I still remember the first day I met him because it was my first day at work at SFA. Even though I intended to arrive early, several librarians were ahead of me as I rushed to the university wide faculty meeting held at the beginning of each new academic year. "There's Bernice, there's the new librarian." I was greeted by Don, Elizabeth Wallace, and several other new colleagues. as we walked together to the meeting. That was 32 meetings ago, and I'm certainly not the new librarian any more.

Back then I worked in Technical Services, and I soon got to know Don well. No one was more persistent than Don in making sure that the materials needed by his faculty and students in the sciences were ordered, checked in, and processed as quickly as possible. Waiting for the invoice to arrive or setting aside a tough cataloging problem was not an option if one of Don's students needed the book, geological survey, or map that he was tracking down. Music collection responsibilities were added to Don's job description a few years later. For Don this was not a burden, it was a joy. The sciences were Don's job and he was very good at it, but music was his passion.

I joined Don, Marty Turnage, Carol Scamman, Kayce Halstead and others in the Reference Department in 1991. There were no online end-user databases in those days. Printed indexes for undergraduates and expensive Dialog database searches done by librarians for graduate students and faculty were the order of the day. I worked with Don on Tuesday nights. We were almost always busy, but there were short breaks between questions when I could ask Don to show me how to use one of the reference books or compare notes with him on vacations to Big Bend or Mesa Verde.

On Tuesdays, Don would come in at 7:30 a.m. and work until 10 p.m. He took off an hour for lunch , but often just ate a sandwich in his office for supper before joining me at the Reference Desk at 6 p.m. The rest of us took afternoons off when we were scheduled to work until 10 p.m., but Don didn't start taking the afternoons off until he was forced to. There was some newfangled rule about not earning more than 80 hours of comp time per year. Ten comp days for weekends plus a year's worth of Tuesday afternoons added up to considerably more than 80 hours! Don complained about his new schedule for weeks, but a few years later turned down the option of having no night duty every other semester. By this time, being free on Tuesday afternoons was essential!

Fifteen years past the age when most people retire, Don was still arriving at his office shortly after 7:30 each morning. Don enjoyed traveling and going to operas and other musical performances. He had plenty of vacation time to do that. He still loved his work and was not ready to retire. He wasn't up on all the newest technology. He couldn't name the newest pop stars. He didn't blog or twitter. But for some students and faculty in chemistry, geology, or music, he wasn't just the best person to ask, he was often the only person that could help them.

Don was a valued colleague and friend. I won't soon forget him, and neither will many others.

Bernice Wright bwright@sfasu.edu rm. 202j 936.468.1528 Subjects - Agriculture, Forestry, Human Sciences, Human Services, Speech/Communication

Ask Stupid Questions

"Ask Stupid Questions": A Collaborative and Solution-Driven Reference Service

Ask Stupid Questions (ASQTM) is a radically new reference enquiry methodology developed by the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore.... ASQ has transformed the reference enquiry transaction ... where the librarian assumes the role of the host in a game show format which encourages with fun, spontaneity and creative expressions.

	R. Philip Reynolds preynolds@sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography