Ellen
Wilson |
Ellen
Wilson packed up and moved from Boston to Mobile to
take her dream job as Instructional Technology and Reference
Librarian at USA. Before coming to USA, she was a student
at Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science,
where she received her M.S. this May. It was through her
involvement with the technology lab at Simmons that she
discovered her love for instruction.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Planetary
Science from Washington University in St. Louis and a graduate
certificate in Professional and Technical Communication
from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Among
her past work experiences she counts volcano monitoring
at Alaska Volcano Observatory, substitute teaching in a
struggling urban school district, managing several departments
of the Harvard Coop, one of the largest college bookstores
in the country, and assisting with a retrospective cataloging
project at the Social Law Library in Boston.
In
her spare time, Ellen enjoys playing around with new and
emerging technologies, reading, knitting, and the extreme
emotional highs and lows that come with being a diehard
Red Sox fan. |
|
Project
Muse
|
Jan
Sauer
Instructional Services/Reference
The Libraries
are delighted to announce the acquisition of a subscription to
Project Muse's Standard Research Collection, containing
current, full text issues of approximately 290 humanities and
social science journals.
“Every
journal is heavily indexed and peer-reviewed, with critically
acclaimed articles by the most respected scholars in their fields.
MUSE is also the sole source of complete, full-text versions
of titles from many of the world’s leading university presses
and scholarly societies.”
Because
Muse partners with the Johns Hopkins library, the indexing
is done by experienced catalogers. By limiting a search to the
Subject Headings field, a searcher can find the most relevant
articles efficiently—a convenience missing from JSTOR--speaking
of which . . . .
For those
who use JSTOR frequently, you will be happy to find that
the two databases share 25 journal titles which can be searched
and accessed from either database. Just check the box that says
“Include articles from JSTOR back issues.”
The articles
in Project Muse are perfect for e-reserve or links on
an online syllabus because they have stable URLs. If you have
a journal that is particularly important to your research, you
may consider subscribing to an RSS feed to that journal giving
you instant notification of a new issue. These online journals
are often available before print issues are even released.
For a
list of the journal titles and dates of coverage in this “Standard
Collection” go to: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/collection.html.
|
Beverly
Rossini
|
Beverly
Rossini is working in the library as an intern from
the University of Alabama’s School of Library and
Information Studies. Rossini has completed her coursework
and will graduate with a Masters in December 2007.
Mrs. Rossini has taught high school language arts and public
speaking, drama, reading, and journalism electives. She
is a past fellow with the Mobile Bay Writing Project, an
alumni of the Association of Newspaper Editors' Summer Journalism
Institute at the University of Texas in Austin, and a current
recipient of the Marie Drolet Bristol Endowed Scholarship.
Her
home for the past twenty-five years has been Mobile. She
and her husband have two grown sons. In her free time Rossini
enjoys exploring new technologies, reading, stitching needlepoint,
and working in the yard.
|
|
Wiley
Earth and Environmental Sciences Backfiles Collection |
| Amy
Prendergast
Science and Technology Librarian
The
University Library is now providing access to the Wiley Earth
and Environmental Sciences Backfiles Collection. This collection
includes the backfiles of 25 journals, some with access beginning
as far back as the 1960s. This is a significant increase as for
most of the Wiley journals we only have access back to 1997. Included
are journals on environment, remediation, conservation, hydrology,
geology, and meteorology, among others.
To browse the titles in the Earth and Environmental Sciences
collection, go to SOUTHcat Plus and choose “Articles, Indexes,
Databases”. Then look under Multidisciplinary Collections,
choose “Wiley Interscience,” and click on “Collections”
on the Wiley home page. Click on “Earth and Environmental
Sciences Backfiles” then choose “Titles”.
The backfiles, along with all Wiley journals, can also be searched
– if you choose “Advanced Search” from the Wiley
homepage you can limit by Product Type, Subjects, and Date Range.
We hope you will find extended access to these Wiley journals
useful and convenient. Please call (460-7025) or email Amy
Prendergast if you have questions or comments. |
LexisNexis
Overhaul |
| Deborah
Harrington
Business Librarian
You
may be familiar with the LexisNexis database and have
used it in the past for news, company information, cases, etc.
The search interface has recently been redesigned and will require
a few changes in the way you search for information. This database
can be accessed through "Articles, Indexes, Databases"
on the Library homepage
or the Business
Library database list.
Getting
started:
Choose from the 2 tabs at the very top of the screen 'Search'
OR 'Sources'
Most users will leave the screen on the default 'Search' category
unless they have a need to search a specific title such as ...
the 'American Demographics' magazine for demographic information.
Directly under those 2 tabs, you will notice a submenu of 5 category
buttons: General, News, Legal, Business, People
For
cases, law reviews, and tax research, choose Legal. For company
information or SEC documents choose Business. Each category screen
[general, news, legal, business, people] will look different and
will have differing search forms, sources and search options.
It's worth your time to look thoroughly around the screen before
beginning your search. To the right side, notice the search categories.
Click on the one that fits your research need. Review options
on the search form going from the top of the page to the bottom.
For help in learning the new interfaces or the types of searches
you can conduct from the screen you are looking at, refer to the
bottom of the right menu. Under 'Related Links' see various help
sheets. You may also want to click on the link 'Tutorials'. They
are flash tutorials that review the basics with you.
I wanted you to be aware of the new redesign, give you a couple
of strategies/tips for coping, and offer further assistance if
you have specific questions about the type of research you are
working on. |
Microform
Machines Become Technology Compliant
|
| 
By
Paula L. Webb
Government Documents Librarian
Almost
everyone who has used a microform machine has fumbled with loading
the film just right, attempted to get the document they want to
appear on the viewer and had to hunt down dimes for printing.
In this computer age, shouldn’t this complicated process
improve?
Due to
the efforts of Doug Wilcox, Assistant Dean, University Library
Systems, and Vicki Tate, Head of Documents/Serials, the University
of South Alabama now has available two microform scanners. The
machines easily scan documents on microfilm or microfiche and
transfer them to .PDF format using Photoshop Elements. In this
new format, the patron can do many things with the scanned document.
If they bring their own flash drive or CD, they can save the document
and take it with them anywhere without printing it out.
“We
decided to get the microform scanners because people were asking
for them, we wanted to get away from the dime situation and we
wanted to keep up with technology. In the future, the library
hopes to have printing capabilities using the TracCard.”
stated Vicki Tate. In
addition, the microform scanners have an easier loading capability
and better screens for viewing. One of the machines is capable
of scanning documents in the 11 x 14 format. The larger format
is perfect for scanning newspapers and other large publications.
The popularity
of the new microform scanners has already begun as students and
professors have chosen them over the regular microform printers.
It is no surprise the librarians expect the usage of the microform
scanners to only increase. |
Others
Places to Check Out
Alabama
Mosaic-
a repository of digital materials on Alabama's history, culture, places,
and people. Its purpose is to make unique historical treasures from
Alabama's archives, libraries, museums, and other repositories electronically
accessible to Alabama residents and to students, researchers, and the
general public in other states and countries.
ACRL Webcast:
Understanding
Author's Rights -- Do you really have to sign the first contract
a publisher offers in order to get published? Thoughts on copyright,
digital repositories, personal use and other complexities of authorship.
The
Library Blog-University Library news, as well as occasionally useful
and often weird website links.
PETAL's
September Newsletter
|
Paula Webb |
| 
After
much begging and pleading from her parents, Paula
Webb finally decided to move back to her home town of
Mobile.
Paula
will be working for the USA Library as the new Reference
and Electronic Resources Government Documents Librarian.
Her job title alone should give you an idea of how busy
she will be!
Before
coming to USA, she was the Head of Serials and Interlibrary
Loan at Delta State University, home of the Fighting Okra,
and a Law Library Assistant at Balch & Bingham LLP.
She has a MLIS from the University of Alabama, BA from Judson
College and an AA from Faulkner State Community College.
Paula
dabbles in all forms of artistic expression, including gardening
when it is not a 110 degrees outside, landscape photography,
painting with oil based media and charcoal based drawings.
|
|
Rob
Gray
|
| 
Robert
Gray and his wife (Kim) and children (Liam, 10, and Emma,
7) have come down to Mobile from Birmingham for Rob to take
the directorship of PETAL (The Program for the Enhancement
of Teaching and Learning). While he’s not a librarian,
the library would like to welcome him anyway because, despite
that glaring and unfortunate shortcoming, he still seems to
be a pretty cool guy.
Before
coming to USA, he was the Director of Education Research at
Outcomes, Inc., and has also served as the Director of the
Instructional Media Group at the UAB School of Public Health,
as an Academic Services and Instructional Design Consultant
for eCollege, and as Instructor of English at Troy (State)
University. He holds a BA and MA in English from the University
of Alabama and is finishing his PhD in Instructional Technology,
also from the University of Alabama.
Mr.
Gray is best known for being almost good at writing poetry,
designing web sites, singing, playing bass guitar, cooking,
and keeping his hair combed. |
|
EBSCO
Education Complete
|
| Ellen
K. Wilson,
Instructional Technology & Reference Librarian
The library
has subscribed to EBSCO’s Education Research Complete.
According to the publisher, this database offers the world’s
largest and most comprehensive collection of full-text education
journals. It contains scholarly research and information relating
to all areas of education, from early childhood to higher education,
as well as to administration, policy, funding, and related social
issues. Education Research Complete contains indexing and
abstracts for more than 1500 journals, and full-text for more than
750 journals. It also includes full-text for more than 100 books
and monographs, as well as numerous conference papers.
Education
Research Complete is similar to ERIC and Professional
Development Collection in its search interface; however, each
database uses a different thesaurus or index of subjects. For example,
Education Research Complete uses the term “Absenteeism,”
whereas in ERIC the thesaurus term is “Attendance.”
In Professional Development Collection, the subject term
is “School attendance.”
One feature
Education Research Complete offers is a citation index.
This allows you to search for articles which cite a certain article.
To access this search, click on “Cited References” in
the green header from either the Basic or Advanced Search Tab.
To access
Education Research Complete, click the Articles,
Indexes and Databases link from the library homepage, then select
EBSCO, and finally Education Research Complete. From this
page you can also access the list of included titles. |
ProQuest
Newspapers - Newsstand Database
|
|
The University
Library has subscribed to the ProQuest Newsstand database
which provides the full-text of 350 full-text newspapers with coverage
from 1980 to the present with many more indexed. For a complete
list of the newspaper titles included review
the title list.
The core
of the database is the Major Newspapers collection, which includes
national and leading regional papers such as The Wall Street
Journal, Barron’s, The New York Times, USA TODAY, Chicago
Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Atlanta Journal- Constitution,The
Boston Globe, The Guardian, The Christian Science Monitor, and The
Washington Post. Many titles such as the Wall Street Journal
and Barron’s have not been available in electronic
full-text at USA until now. Online access promotes the sharing of
newspaper titles among all the libraries on campus and furthers
distance education initiatives.
Browse your
favorite newspapers or search for coverage of popular events by
clicking on the link to ProQuest Newspapers from our Newspaper
Database List or the aphabetical list of databases on the Articles,
Indexes, Databases link on the homepage. Although all articles
are indexed, graphics and some other data may not show up. Print
or microfilm copies of a few titles are available at the University
Library or the Mitchell College of Business Library. Verify holdings
by searching the SOUTHcat
Catalog by Journal Title. Membership in the Network of Alabama
Academic Libraries (NAAL) helps us achieve a significant cost savings
for this and several other databases, rare in today’s electronic
environment. Try it out and let us know what you think. |
New
“Materials Purchase Request” |
|
Paul
G. Haschak
Coordinator of Collection Management
It
is easier than ever to recommend the purchase of new academic materials
for the University Library. Use the new “Materials
Purchase Request” form available now on the Library
homepage.
You may recommend books, videos (dvd and vhs), music, music cds,
magazines, and journal titles, as well as electronic (online) resources
such as databases--or other items you feel the library should purchase.
Recommendations are evaluated in accordance with the University
Library’s “Collection Development Policy” from
suggestions by the Library’s subject specialists, the academic
faculty, staff, students, and others. The University Library’s
selection criteria states that the “quality of the content,
its relevance to the fulfillment of the academic curricular needs
of the University, and our student’s and faculty’s learning,
teaching, and research needs are the basic criteria against which
any potential purchase is evaluated.” Note, because of budgetary
limitations, the purchase of new materials is not guaranteed. Please
note, also, the University Library does not purchase current course
textbooks.
|
Art
Gallery News |
Richard
Wood
Dean of the Libraries
USA's own Dr. John Strange (professor, College of Education) has
agreed to extend the date for his and Jeannine Griffin's framed
photography show until September 27, 2007 so that new USA students
can see this show on the first floor of the University Library.
Many of these photographs were taken in Italy and are all quite
colorful images they took on recent trips.
There
are multiple shows in the University Library's third floor gallery.
The main show contains the framed watercolor "sketches"
by Vicky Nix Cook; they show many scenes from Fairhope, Alabama
and are meant to be a tribute to her father, Jim Nix, former mayor
of Fairhope for seven consecutive terms and a current member of
USA's Board of Trustees. Eight of the display cases on third floor
tell the story behind the book: Fairhope Watercolor Sketches
[Fairhope: Nall Printing, 2004. ISBN 0-9762584-0-4]. It features
the art work by Ms. Cook and words of Suzanne Hudson. This show
will be available through the end of September.
Four display cases contain batik works by an Alabama native, former
teacher, and an internationally acclaimed artist, Jean Schulman.
Her batik works are made on antique linens, cotton, marbleized
paper, and raw silk using dyes obtained exclusively from colored
clays. Her research has taken her throughout the Southeast to
dig clay and to discover rich colors ranging from blues, greens
and pinks to brown and rose tones. Franklin County is still her
richest source with about 20 different colors in a 100 yard area.
Some of her artwork is part of the permanent collection in the
Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and
Technology in Washington, D.C. and is in more than one hundred
private collections throughout the United States. Schulman is
registered to be a charter member of the National Museum of Women
in Fine Arts and has been accepted into the museum's database
of accomplished women artists. Her show will be available through
September 27, 2007.
|
|
In
Warmest Memory of
Tiffany
Harris
and
Eugene
V. Sullivan |
|
