Greater Hartford Campus Students, Faculty, and Staff: We need your help!

Spring is goal setting time for the Trecker Library and its staff and we would like to know how we’re doing and if you have any ideas to improve the library and its services.   The link at the end of this message will take you to a brief  (12 questions) online survey.  Only 4 questions (marked in red) are required but we hope you will also consider answering the others. 

 

We will put your responses to good use.  Past surveys have led to our creating more group and quiet study space, a soft-seating parlor where visitors can relax, New Books shelves, and automatic front doors to make access easier among other improvements.

 

 

 The survey ENDS ON APRIL 15, 2009.  Thanks in advance for your help!

 

http://tinyurl.com/cjyd63

 

 

ps—The survey can be taken only once on each computer.

 

 

 

 

Cambridge Histories Online

A wonderful set of print resources are now available online! 

 

Cambridge Histories Online (http://rdl.lib.uconn.edu/databases/1571) includes: American and world history; economic history and the history of science; together with historical treatments of literature; linguistics; music & theatre studies; philosophy; religion; anthropology and political thought.

 

Full-text of 60 works of narrative synthesis by major scholars published in over 250 volumes by Cambridge since 1960. see a full title list http://histories.cambridge.org/uid=3711/browse?all=1.

 

 

GOVERNMENT SCIENCE RESEARCH WEBSITE RECEIVES IMPORTANT UPGRADE

We have just received word of an upgrade to Science.gov, the federal government’s internet based research resource.  Information about it follows:

 

“Access to Science Information Expands with Science.gov 5.0 Launch

 

200 Million Pages of U.S. Government Science Resources Now Available on the Internet

 

The latest version of Science.gov <http://www.science.gov/> -Science.gov 5.0-was launched Sept. 15th, allowing users to search additional collections of valuable science resources; more easily target their searches; and readily find links to information on a variety of science topics. Science.gov is a free, integrated single-search gateway to reliable science and technology information from 17 organizations within

13 federal science agencies.

 

Science.gov 5.0 improves upon the previous version, Science.gov 4.0, by offering seven new databases and portals which allow researchers access to over 200 million pages of scientific information. New information available includes thousands of patents resulting from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research and development(DOepatents <http://www.osti.gov/doepatents> ); documents and bibliographic citations of DOE accomplishments (DOE R&D Accomplishments Database <http://www.osti.gov/accomplishments> ); millions of electronic scientific documents from around the world known as e-prints (Eprint Network <http://www.osti.gov/eprints> ); and comprehensive and peer-reviewed toxicology data for thousands of chemicals (HSDB Hazardous Substances Databank <http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB>

) as well as more than 3 million references to worldwide literature on the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms (TOXLINE Toxicology Bibliographic Information <http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?TOXLINE> ).  New information also includes a digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature (PubMed Central <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/> ) and cancer-related information of all kinds for all audiences (Cancer.gov <http://www.cancer.gov/> ), including support and treatment resources for patients, comprehensive descriptions of research programs and clinical trials for healthcare professionals and the general public, and funding opportunities for researchers.

 

Another key feature of Science.gov 5.0 is a “clustering” tool which helps target searches by grouping results by subtopics or dates. This technology was recently developed through a DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program award.

 

In addition to quadrupling the amount of searchable content and enhancing the search technology, Science.gov 5.0 now provides links to related EurekAlert! Science News <http://www.eurekalert.org/>  and Wikipedia, and provides the capability to easily download research results into personal files or citation software.

 

Science.gov is hosted by DOE’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), within DOE’s Office of Science.  In addition to DOE, Science.gov is supported by contributing members of the Science.gov Alliance, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, and the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Government Printing Office, the Library of Congress, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation, with support from the National Archives and Records Administration.

 

Tim Byrne

Information International Associates, Inc.

DOE/Office of Scientific and Technical Information P.O. Box 62 Oak Ridge,TN 37831

Phone: 865-241-2358

E-mail:  byrnet@osti.gov “

 

-          William Uricchio, Library Director

“Cambridge Histories Online” On Trial Until 10/17

Stephanie Willen Brown, the University Libraries’ Electronic Resources Librarian, reports that a database which may be of interest to faculty and students is on trial until October 17^th.  If this looks to be useful for your curricular or research pursuits please let me know and I will pass the word on to Stephanie.  If there is enough interest in the UConn community the Libraries will consider it for purchase later this year.  Stephanie writes:

 

“Hi all,

 

You might be interested in this trial of Cambridge Histories Online (find it at http://rdl.lib.uconn.edu/databases/1540).

 

About Cambridge Histories Online:

The Cambridge Histories have become an established and essential component of the academic research library, and now, for the first time, over 250 of these well-known, used and trusted volumes published since the 1960’s are available online, adding immense value to the texts and enhancing any aspect of historical research. Cambridge Histories Online (CHO) will be an indispensable research tool for undergraduates and academics alike. It offers impressive functionality, enabling quick and easy access to content and the tools to make the content usable in a time effective way, including extensive bibliographic reference linking, personal archives, citation export, remote access and user control display features.  CHO covers 14 subject areas, including General History, Regional History, Literary Studies, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. And an average of 5 new titles will be added each year!

 

Note that this is good for areas beyond simply history, including many in humanities & social science.”

 

Regards,

 

Bill Uricchio, Library Director (William.uricchio@uconn.edu)

 

FINDING “BEST BOOKS”, etc. : An Important New Web Service for Faculty, Students and Librarians

Finding “best books”, and more, to support the campus curriculum is not always an easy task for librarians or faculty members. Campuses the size of Greater Hartford have a great tool in a web site called Resources for College Libraries (RCL) http://rclweb.net/ which is described as having a “… core list [which] features 65,000 titles in 58 curriculum-specific subjects…selected… by more than 300 subject specialists and bibliographers.” One of those specialists was Trecker’s Social Sciences Librarian, Janice Mathews, who worked on the Urban Studies section.

RCL, a combined effort by the R. R. Bowker company, a prominent library publisher, and the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, “is the long-awaited successor to Books for College Libraries” which has for years been a basic selection tool used by librarians to build academic library collections.

The new web version has expanded features for faculty looking for the most prominent materials in their field and librarians working to assure that local collections have the most important resources.

A new service, for undergraduate students looking for solid advice on how to conduct a research project, “…lists books, websites, and other electronic resources which professors and librarians have identified as the best or most useful…”

William Uricchio — Library Director

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”: Tell Us How We Are Doing And Maybe Win a Video iPod!

Yes, believe it or not, another library survey process is under way and we want to encourage you to participate. To “sweeten the deal” the University Libraries will be offering three video iPods — one each to a randomly selected faculty, undergrad and grad responder.

You may have recently received an e-mail from the University Libraries about our new survey process administered by the Association of Research Libraries. Perhaps you are wondering why there seems to be a flood of library surveys at the moment and how important this new one may be?

Our recent Learning Commons survey, answered by hundreds of students, gave us very valuable information to help our local library planning. Now, the University Libraries are conducting LibQual+, a highly respected and internationally tested process, which will assist our efforts to improve not only service at the Greater Hartford Campus but also for the entire University Libraries system. You will have no more important opportunity to let us know your opinion of library service at the University of Connecticut. As in the past, LibQual results will inform our decision making for months, and perhaps years, ahead.

The confidential survey takes only about 10 minutes of your time and you just might win one of three Video iPods.

The survey link is: http://survey.libqual.org/index.cfm?ID=778684

Please respond no later than April 18, 2008!

William Uricchio — Library Director 

 

End Of Spring Semester Expanded Hours

To assist with research and study, the Trecker Library will have extended end-of-semester hours as follows:

Monday, May 5th to (and including) Thursday, May 9th — Open at 8:30 a.m.

Open 1 pm to 5 pm on three Sundays: April 20th, 27th and May 4th.

If the weather looks “dicey” please call ahead before coming:

860-570-9024 (Main Service Desk)

860-570-9099 (Library Hoursline)

William Uricchio — Library Director

Learning Commons Survey iPod Winner Announced

Business graduate student Nicholas Macsata, who hails from Broad Brook, is the winner of the Greater Hartford/Hartford Campus iPod Nano. The Nano was one of five units offered by the Regional Campus Libraries in a drawing for students who answered an online survey about desired features of the Learning Commons. As he received his prize at a location near his place of employment, Mr. Macsata commented that “surveys do work” and, while they don’t always result in Nanos, in his case that statement is certainly no exaggeration. Congratulations to Mr. Macsata and many thanks to all of the students who took time to answer our survey.

William Uricchio — Library Director

Finding & Requesting New Books

FINDING NEW BOOKS:

Like many users of the Libraries, you may have had trouble finding new books. Trecker, as with the other UConn libraries, has new book shelves but, of course, they only show the new books that are currently in the library. Two new services have been developed to help you discover all of our new books:

HOMER NEW BOOKS. The University Libraries online catalog, HOMER, now has a tab which allows you to find, library by library and for the whole system, new additions to the online catalog. This list may be directly accessed at: http://homerweb.lib.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/newbooks.cgi

It is also accessible from the Blog sidebar at left.

One caveat about this list: Trecker’s books appear in the online catalog before they actually arrive at Trecker. Please check at our front desk if you are looking for a new book that is not where it should be.

TRECKER LIBRARY RECOMMENDED NEW BOOKS. The Homer New Books List is a great advance but it only provides location and basic bibliographic information. Trecker staff have created an annotated list of recommended new books which you may find of particular interest. This list is created after the books arrive so there should be no location confusion. Also, each entry is accompanied by brief information from major review media or from publishers about the book’s content and importance. Trecker’s recommended books can be found at http://treckerbooks.wordpress.com/

It is also accessible from the Blog sidebar at left.

REQUESTING NEW BOOKS:

Funding for book purchases has been tightening as UConn faculty and students have become increasingly focused on internet based resources. While we have not lost sight of the value of books for research and knowledge, we are moving away from purchasing books with the hope that someone may find them of interest and instead we are moving toward basing our collections more on curricular needs. As a member of the UConn community, you have significant power relative to recommending library purchases and as a result we not only welcome your suggestions for additions to the library’s collections but have taken steps to make this process easier. Two approaches have proven to work well:

E-Mail. You should feel free to e-mail one of the Library Liaisons with your request(s). It will be helpful if you can include information about how you intend to use the book for your instruction or research needs.

Trecker Liaisons are:

*Jan Lambert – Social Work
*Marsha Lee – Humanities
*Janice Mathews – Social Sciences
*Bill Uricchio – History, Sciences

Online Purchase Request Form . This is an easy way for you to suggest that the library purchase a resource. By indicating the “Hartford Campus” and choosing an appropriate subject area, your request will be forwarded to the proper liaison for handling. It will be especially helpful if in the “notes field” you indicate: “Need for my ____ research” or something similar. This form is mounted on the University Libraries website and can be used at any time: http://www.lib.uconn.edu/print/services/RequestForPurchase//

William Uricchio — Library Director

Trecker Staffing Update

With the recent retirement of a key member of Trecker’s staff, this is a good time to provide up-to-date information about public services contacts, some of which recently changed.

Circulation, Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan & Reserves Services. Trecker’s Coordinator of Circulation Services, Claudia Lopes, has been joined by Administrative and Public Services Assistant Steve Bustamante, who joined the Treckeer Staff on a part-time basis in January. Steve will be working with Claudia to perform a number of duties related to curricular support. Please contact them if you would like materials placed on course reserve, assistance with Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan or for other activities related to our “front desk” operations.

Library Liaison program. Trecker’s librarians have service relationships with specific academic programs. Among the services offered are the teaching of library and research skills, participation in the First Year Experience program, building collections in support of campus academic offerings, and providing various levels of support for curricular needs. Please feel free to contact one of the following to discuss your particular situation:
*Jan Lambert – Social Work
*Marsha Lee – Humanities (New)
*Janice Mathews – Social Sciences
*Bill Uricchio – History, Sciences (New)

William Uricchio – Library Director