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

Where is the Information Desk and where do I get help?

The short answer is: The information desk is gone, but our librarians are available to help you at the Library Services desk (formerly Circulation/Reserves desk) in the lobby of the library. The new Library Services desk provides one location where students, faculty members, and others may get help with finding information, checking out or returning books, borrowing reserve materials, and other needs. The location of the desk, immediately inside the entrance in the lobby, enhances the visibility of our librarians, which makes it easier for students and faculty to find them. Merging circulation/reserves and information services in one location also eliminates the inconvenience of referring people from the circulation desk to the information desk and vice-versa. It also enables librarians at the desk in the lobby to take advantage of opportunities for assistance and instructional interactions that may never have happened at the former information desk. While checking out or returning books and reserve materials students may talk about their information needs and/or express frustrations with their research. In addition, some students are reluctant to approach a librarian for help, but they may feel more comfortable talking with a library student employee at the desk. These situations create easy “hand-off” opportunities for these students to get help from a librarian.

Of course, not all needs can be satisfied at the Library Services desk. Some people will still be referred to the Archives & Special Collections on the library’s upper level; or to the Government Documents Department on the lower level; or to the Acquisitions Department, Serials/Bindery Department, or the Dean of Libraries’ office on the main level. However we believe inquiring at the new Library Services desk is the most efficient way to begin any trip to the Briggs Library. BTW: The old Information Desk was dismantled in June, but not totally discarded. Parts of it live on after being repurposed to provide work stations elsewhere in the library.

Clark Hallman, Head of Public Services

Wolfram│Alpha

Stephen Wolfram, developer of Mathematica, has designed a new Web tool called Wolfram│Alpha.  Although its interface looks like a search engine, Wolfram│Alpha is actually a computational knowledge engine.  Search engines, like Google, search the Web and list links as results.   Wolfram│Alpha produces results by making computations from its own knowledge base. 

Clicking on the sample topics links will give you ideas of how to use this tool in areas like mathematics, engineering, dates & times, money & finance, and unit & measures.  You can enter math problems, ask for conversions, compare stocks, produce a world map with life expectancies, assess the per capita income of Brooking County, etc.  Wolfram│Alpha has a blog, a community site, and a quick video overview to help users get started.

The producers of Wolfram│Alpha plan to expand its capacities in the future.  Their ambitious “long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to anyone.”  They also see opportunities to develop other forms of their product—to provide professional and corporate applications, to work with an organization’s internal data, and to work with mobile platforms. 

If you have any questions about research please contact a SDSU librarian.  You can contact us in-person at the Information Desk, send an e-mail, a text message, or set up an appointment. 

 Linda Kott
Information Services Librarian

2009 High School Topic: Poverty

                   

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Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase social services for persons living in poverty in the United States

 

The 2009 South Dakota High School Debate Camp will soon be underway on the SDSU Campus. The library welcomes all coaches and students in the arts of rhetoric and persuasion! Well, of course the library welcomes all who would seek knowledge (and evidence) within these scholared halls.

 

The Government Documents Department offers assistance in finding federal and state government information sources on this years high school debate topic: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase social services for persons living in poverty in the United States. An online topic guide has been created to identify selected federal and Internet resources available online and through library databases on the topic of poverty in the United States.

 

The Briggs Library Guide to Government Information provides links to a number of federal, state, local, and international sites for research, including a research guide for Debate Topics. Additional library resources can be accessed from the library homepage including the library catalog and library databases all of which are accessible on the SDSU Campus.

 

Assistance in using library resources and for Government information sources is available at the Information Desk (main level) and on the lower level of the library in the Documents Office. The library offers free wireless Internet service as well as free Internet access on the public computers. And of course, the library offers free information finding expertise. Just AskUs!

 

Vickie Mix, Documents Librarian

 

 

 

News and Resources on the Supreme Court Justice nomination

In the news…

Supreme Court Justice David Souter has announced his coming retirement.  On May 26, President Obama announced his selection of Sonia Sotomayor to become the newest justice.  Sotomayor now faces hearings in the Senate, which has the authority to either approve or reject Pres. Obama’s nominee.

Here is a selection of resources for further information on this topic:

- For information on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor: http://www.loc.gov/law/find/sotomayor.php
- For information on the Supreme Court including history, the docket, and opinions: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
- For online access to the text of Supreme Court Nomination Hearings since 1971: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/senate/judiciary/scourt.html
- For a list of Supreme Court nominees since 1789: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/nominations/Nominations.htm
- For information regarding presidential nominations, nominees, and appointments: http://www.senate.gov/reference/Nominations/Index.htm
- For a biographical directory of federal judges since 1789: http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj

For further information, please ask at the Information Desk or the Government Documents Department. While you are at the library, feel free to check out the displays on the lower level and learn more about our Supreme Court Justices as well as our Justice Department publications.

Laura Plowman, Public Services Library Associate

Congressional Hearing: Role of Museums and Libraries in Strengthening Communities

“Examining the Role of Museums and Libraries in Strengthening Communities” – Hearing before the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities – Committee on Education and Labor – U.S. House of Representatives – 110th Congress, 2nd Session – September 11, 2008 – Serial No. 110-109.  Y 4.ED 8/1:110-109

 http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS109681

Vickie Mix, Documents Librarian