Volume 8  Issue 3      February 2005      Northern State University      http://www.northern.edu/library

  Nominations Sought for Library  
  Award

  Williams Library would like to announce the tenth  
  annual Williams Library Award for Faculty/Student
  Research Collaboration.
    Through this award, Williams Library would like
  to focus attention on those faculty members who,
  through innovative means and with exemplary
  results, involve their students in collaborative
  research projects. It is intended that "research"
  be broadly understood to include all scholarship
  and creative activity, following the guidelines
  given under the section "Scholarship and Creative
  Activity" on p.95-96 of the 1993-1996 COHE
  agreement.
    The winner of the award, to consist of $500 and
  an engraved plate, will be chosen by three
  previous winners of the award and the President
  of the Student Senate.
    Nominations should be forwarded to the Vice-
  President for Academic Affairs by May 15, 2005.
  New Library Catalog is Still Under
  Construction
  A link to our new library catalog is now
  available on our homepage under Finding Books.
  It is more up to date than the old catalog in that
  all of our new additions have been entered into it
  since September. It is not quite perfect, but
  improvements are being made daily. In time, we
  hope to have all the features we expect of a state-
  of-the-art library catalog. If, while searching our
  new catalog, you come across errors or odd
  results, contact Lea Simon, ext. 7774, or Robert
  Russell, ext. 7773, with examples.
    The new Interlibrary Loan module is still being
  tested, but in the meantime, you can fill out ILL
  requests via the Interlibrary Loan link on our
  homepage under Library Services. Also, if you are
  searching the old catalog and find something in
  another library, you can still click on the
  Interlibrary Loan button to request that item.
  Ask the Librarians-From Home
  Ask the Librarians-LIVE is a real-time chat
  reference service you can take advantage of 
  when you’re in a bind and can’t get to the library.
  Operating from 1-9 p.m. Monday through
  Thursday while classes are in session, librarians 
  from five South Dakota universities rotate shifts to
  answer reference questions to those in need.
    A student who is not in the library will be able to
  click on a link to have a live, online discussion
  with a librarian. We provide answers to brief,
  factual questions, and instructions in the use of
  library databases. The link to Ask the
  Librarians-LIVE is provided on the Williams
  Library homepage.

  


EBSCO Puts Reserves at Your Fingertips
Williams Library’s EBSCO databases (Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, and MasterFILE Premier among others) allow instructors to obtain fixed locations for course reserve materials. If a professor wants to include an article obtained from an EBSCO database in their course reading, a persistent link to that material can be arranged.
  If you have a journal that is key to your research, or if you just want to keep up on the latest news, the Alert feature can be of use to you. Set up a personal folder on any of the EBSCO databases, and you can choose to receive an e-mail alert each time a new copy of the selected journal becomes available. The e-mail you receive will have the table of contents, along with fixed links that will take you directly to the full text articles. If you have questions about either of these features, contact Robert Russell, ext. 7773 or robert.russell@northern.edu.

New Developments in Online Databases
The long running print series Historic Documents is now available in an electronic format. Williams Library now offers access to this fully indexed reference resource, which includes primary documents arranged by the year they were created.
  Historic Documents is a full text index to the 32 volume print collection of the same name. This database includes over 32,000 pages of primary source material. Documents included range from presidential speeches, international agreements, and Supreme Court decisions to U.S. governmental reports, scientific findings, and cultural discussions.
  JSTOR, Sociological Abstracts and Criminal Justice Abstracts have undergone search interface changes. They now offer a single box search mechanism due to the desire expressed by researchers. If you preferred the older search interface, go to the advanced search for more options.
  For more information on changes and additions, go to the New Developments in Online Databases page on the Williams Library homepage


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