2010 South Dakota State Legislature

The South Dakota State Legislature is currently in full session. The Legislative session opened January 12, 2010 and adjourns March 29, 2010. Article III of the Constitution of South Dakota established the legislature as a bicameral body consisting of the State Senate and House of Representatives. 35 Senators from 35 districts serve South Dakota constituents as do 70 Representatives from 35 Districts.

2010 has been a busy legislative session despite the challenges of a South Dakota winter. February 4, 2010 is the final day to introduce committee bills and joint resolutions. As of Feb. 4, 2010, the Legislative Research Council ‘s 2010 session bills list  indicates 504 total bills have been introduced in both Houses.

House of Representatives:

• 278 House Bills
• 1 House Commemoration
• 7 House Concurrent Resolutions
• 6 House Joint Resolutions

Senate:

• 196 Senate Bills
• 8 Senate Commemorations
• 1 Senate Concurrent Resolution
• 7 Senate Joint Resolutions

The South Dakota Legislative Research Council provides information on State Legislators, Legislative Sessions from 1997 to present, the South Dakota Constitution, South Dakota Codified Laws, Administrative Rules, and other information on the Legislature. In addition, with a MyLRC account users can create customized lists of Bills, Statutes, Rules, and other information, and sign up for email notifications based on the lists that have been created. South Dakota Public Broadcasting provides live audio broadcasts of Senate and House Sessions linked on the 2010 Legislative Session http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2010/index.aspx page.

A brochure providing an overview of the current session can be found at http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2010/guide.pdf.

For more detailed information about the South Dakota Legislature, please visit the South Dakota Legislative Research Council .

Additional information about South Dakota State government is available from the Official State Government Website . As always, Government Documents staff are ready, willing, and enthusiastically able to help you find local, state, and federal government information.

Vickie Mix, Government Documents Librarian

EndNote training for spring 2010

Training for the EndNote bibliographic software will be held throughout spring semester. To find out what EndNote is, check out this blog entry. There are two sessions – a beginning session and an advanced session. All sessions will be held in Briggs Library, room 125 and will be hands-on training. You may bring your laptop or use one of our computers.

Beginning EndNote will cover:

• Downloading and installing the software;
• EndNote libraries and groups;
• Getting citation information into EndNote;
• Adding attachments to records;
• Organizing your records;
• Using citations in your writing
• Searching and Sorting in EndNote
• Term lists
• Preferences, toolbars, shortcuts
• Backing up your library

Advanced EndNote will cover:

• Adding citations styles not downloaded with EndNote
• Adding import filters for databases not covered by the basic EndNote download
• Using EndNote Web with EndNote on a desktop
• Setting EndNote up for searching databases within the program
• Creating an independent bibliographies

Dates of training:

Beginning EndNote:

• January 14 9:00 – 9:45 SHORT (this has changed from original post)
• January 14 2:00 – 3:30 FULL
• January 19 3:00-4:30 NEW
• January 20 12:00 – 1:30
• February 9 2:00 – 3:30
• March 17 3:00 – 4:30
• April 15 10:00 – 11:30
• May 6 3:00-4:30

Advanced EndNote:

• January 21 12:00-1:00
• January 22 3:00-4:00
• February 17 12:00 – 1:00
• March 18 10:00 – 11:00
• April 15 3:00 – 4:00
• May 7 3:00 – 4:00

It is highly recommended that you sign up for a session beforehand. To sign up, simply e-mail elizabeth.fox@sdstate.edu or call Elizabeth at 688-5569.

~by Elizabeth Fox, Digital Information Services Librarian

Greetings From Briggs Library Documents Department

Documents staff have been diligently working to display government resources on current topics. This month, displays include Celebrating 125 Years of Geological Survey Topographic Mapping and Health Care in America. And just for fun, we continue to offer our old edition U.S. Code Book Sculpture for your enjoyment.

Vickie Mix, Documents Librarian

Evening Study Breaks

Need a break from studying for your finals?  Come to Briggs Library and enjoy coffee, cookies, and lemonade to help keep you going.

Refreshments will be offered Sunday, Monday & Tuesday; Dec. 13-15; 7-9 p.m. in Room 105 of the library.

 Linda Kott, Information Services Librarian

EndNote for students

Students must now e-mail Elizabeth Fox at elizabeth.fox@sdstate.edu using their jacks e-mail account to get access to the EndNote software. MyState Online is no longer working for EndNote software distribution. It is still available to all current student for both Windows and Mac based computers and you are encouraged to contact Elizabeth for the software.

~Elizabeth Fox, Digital Information Services Librarian

Library Construction

Please pardon our mess. You may notice some noise and dust on the main level of the library close to the lobby. We are working to consolidate our offices for Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Once the project is done, both ILL Lending and Borrowing will be located on the main level of the library. This will allow for more efficient use of personnel and resources and open up space for another group study room (222) on the upper level of the library.

If you need a quieter area for studying, please try the lower or upper levels or areas on the main level that are not close to the lobby.

Linda Kott Information

Services Librarian

Librarians Participate at State Conference

Librarians from H. M. Briggs Library recently participated in the South Dakota Library Association (SDLA) Annual Conference held in Aberdeen, SD, October 7-9.

Laura Wight, Information Literacy Librarian, and Elizabeth Fox, Digital Information Services Librarian, conducted a session entitled “A Virtual Librarian in Every Classroom.”  They featured a variety of ways to provide virtual library information services, including Meebo chat widgets on Web and courseware pages, social bookmarking, online tutorials, topic-specific Web guides, and Web conferencing.  For more information view the following Web site http://lib.sdstate.edu/wight/virtuallib.htm or contact Ms. Wight at laura.wight@sdstate.edu or 605-688-5955 or Ms. Fox at elizabeth.fox@sdstate.edu or 605-688-5569.

Mary Caspers-Graper, Head of Technical Services, presented a poster session at the conference entitled “Selecting E-Books” that focused on the decision making process of e-book selection.  The poster detailed different purchasing options, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and relating decisions to the needs of library patrons. 

Linda Kott, Information Services Librarian, also presented a poster session.  Ms. Kott’s selection, entitled, “Less is More:  Content Selection in Library Instruction” addressed librarians who often try to fit too much information into one-hour instruction sessions.  Strategies for focusing content included employing outcomes, student-centered learning, and active learning.  Ms. Kott included information from her recent attendance at the 2009 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Immersion Program for Teachers. 

David Gleim, Dean of Libraries, finished a year-long term of office as the Chair of SDLA’s Academic, Health Sciences, and Special Libraries Section.  Linda Kott finished a year-long term as Section Secretary and was elected to the Chair position for the next year.

Linda Kott

Information Services Librarian

HM Briggs Library Web Toolbar

Access library and other research resources quickly from your browser using the free Briggs Library Toolbar! The toolbar is compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. The toolbar is very easy to install and updates quickly with a built-in refresh option. The toolbar is also easy to uninstall if you wish to remove it from your browser. The HM Briggs Library Toolbar provides searching and one-click access to:

* Library Catalog
* Library Databases
* Journals List
* Electronic and Paper Reserves
* Google Scholar
* Archives & Special Collections
* Government Documents
* Library Research Tools such as: Interlibrary Loan, Citing & Copyright, Distance Library Services, Renew Books Online.
* The main SDSU Web Page

Try it out today: http://lib.sdstate.edu/services/toolbar.html

Laura M. Wight, Associate Professor & Information Literacy Librarian

READ SPEAK KNOW

Celebrate the Freedom to Read during  Banned Books Week , September 26-October 3, 2009. Banned Books Week annually celebrates the importance of the First Amendment, the freedom to read, the freedom to access information and the freedom to express ideas without fear. Intellectual freedom provides the foundation for a free and democratic society to access and express multiple viewpoints regardless of popularity.

Librarians at SDSU are committed to intellectual freedom and unfettered access to information. In celebration of Banned books week, the library features displays on the Main Level and the Lower Level. Check out the Main Level East hallway display case and the Table Display in the lobby near the Information Services Office which includes the 2008-2009 Challenged Books List and examples of books that have been challenged in libraries, schools, bookstores, and communities. The Lower Level display outside the Government Documents Office explores federal publications related to the freedoms protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

See the American Library Association’s Issues & Advocacy pages for more information about Banned and Challenged books http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/index.cfm.

Vickie Mix, Government Documents Librarian

EndNote for the Mac is here and so is APA 6th edition style!

EndNote X3 is now available for download for either the PC or the Mac. This software is designed to help researchers keep track of their references and to include those references in writing. This is an excellent tool for anyone who deals with lots of citations.

To access for faculty: log in to InsideState and go to the library’s site. On the right side of the screen, click on the Access to EndNote Bibliographic Software link. Click on the Install File and follow the directions.

To access for students: log in to MyStateOnline and go to the library’s box (in the My Academics tab). Click on EndNote Bibliographic Software link. Click on the Install File and follow the directions.

APA 6th edition: EndNote has finished the filter for the APA 6th style. You will need EndNote installed on your computer before installing the style. Go here to get the package. There are instructions for downloading and saving this style on this page. Be sure to read them.

There will be training on the use of EndNote in the library on Wednesday, September 30 12:00-1:00 and Thursday, October 1 4:00-5:00. Please contact elizabeth.fox@sdstate.edu to reserve a space at either of these sessions. Space is limited at these sessions.

~ELizabeth Fox