Tisch Library Newsletter

	BiblioTech Connections Newsletter of the Tisch Library of Tufts University Fall 2002 No. 35
Tisch Homepage Tufts Catalog Tufts Homepage	In This Issue: CD-ROM Reference Sources Newly Enhanced Web Catalog Encounter a New Database New Primary-Source Databases	New Instruction Librarian First-Year Writing Program Partnership Pay-for-Print Advance Announcement Finding Out What's New
	CD-ROM Sources Await Your Direct Use Among the electronic reference sources the library offers, CD-ROM sources have supplemented those available through the Web. These CDs, most of which are full text, have been listed with our other electronic databases within "Databases:A-Z" and "Subject Resources" from the Tisch Library home page, and patrons have been directed to inquire at the reference desk in order to use them nearby. During the summer these CD-ROMs have been made directly accessible with a new, state-of-the-art CD-ROM server. Now, even during hours when the reference desk is not staffed, a patron may sit at one of the CD-ROM machines located in the main reference area and access any CD-ROM title listed. Some of the nice features of using the CD-ROM server are: Rather than loading the actual CD-ROM, the server loads an image of it onto a hard drive with its much faster access time. More than one user can access the same CD-ROM at the same time. CD-ROMs stand much less chance of being damaged. Total CD-ROM capacity can be increased simply by adding another hard drive or moving to higher and higher capacity drives as they become available. Titles spanning multiple discs will also be accessible without the need to swap discs in and out. The server will be able to serve DVD-ROMs, a capability the library was lacking until now. A user can call up easily, from the opening screen, the titles of all the CD-ROMs available for access. A list of these titles may also be viewed from the Tisch Library home page at the News, Exhibits & Events link. As stated previously, the Databases: A-Z and Subject Resources links also show listings of these titles. Although network-security precautions rule against making these CD-ROM sources accessible off site, the plan eventually is to make them available from any reference-area computer, especially as expected increase in their use demonstrates the need. Why not start your year then by coming by and sitting down at a reference-area CD machine to review what's available via CD? Return to Contents Newly Enhanced Web Catalog Around the first of October, some improvements are expected in the Tufts Web Catalog. Among the changes you'll see: Enhanced periodical statements When an individual issue of a periodical is not on the shelf with others of that title, the catalog will accurately reflect its location, as well as the date when the next issue is expected to arrive. Ability to create custom bibliographies You can easily save and mark records for later printing, downloading, or e-mailing. The News, Exhibits & Events box on the Tisch Library home page will announce the improved catalog, once available, and link to more of note about it. Return to Contents Encounter a New Database The Tisch Library is pleased to announce that it has acquired the Alexander Street Press database Early Encounters in North America. This full-text resource provides a unique opportunity to the Tufts community to explore the journals, reports, letters, and diaries of European explorers of the North American continent as they recount their initial meetings with Native Americans, as well as with the flora and fauna of the New World. We have obtained Early Encounters at an initial stage of its development. Its current 10,000 pages of materials are expected to grow to over 100,000 over the next few years. Early Encounters is made particularly useful because of the extensive effort that has gone into its indexing. It is possible, for example, to search by Native American tribe, by the nationality or occupation of the author, by where and when a document was written, and by the popular name of the particular encounter. For naturalists, the database allows searching by animal species, plant name, natural phenomenon such as storm or flood, and geophysical feature. Documents include accounts of the Inuit, the Choctaw, and the Seminole, among many others. The documents were written by such authors as Verrazzano, John Brereton, Jesuit missionaries, and Thomas Jefferson over a period of time within the publication dates of 1524-1905. You'll find Early Encounters on the A-Z Database List from the Tisch Library home page and on the History page of "Research Guides by Subject." Spend some time exploring this informative historical database and see what and whom you encounter. Return to Contents Additional Full-Text, Primary-Source Databases Acquired Early Encounters is but one of the new databases purchased as a result of a concerted effort made by Tisch bibliographers this year to build up electronic resources in the humanities and the arts. A focus group with faculty in these disciplines was held to explore interest in primary-source electronic databases. Faculty expressed the desire to have access to this material so that they could incorporate it into their teaching and their direction of students' research. As a result, the Tisch Library has recently purchased the following titles, mainly in the humanities, each of which is deserving of its own more-extended write-up if space would only allow! Patrologia Latina Works of the Latin Fathers in a fully searchable electronic format. It includes 221 volumes ranging in date from 200 to 1216. Acta Sanctorum Collection of documents examining the lives of saints that constitutes a principal source for research into the societies and cultures of early Christian and medieval Europe from the beginning of the Christian era to the end of the 16th century. Early English Books Online all the extant books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in the English language from 1475-1700 in electronic format. The Gerritsen Collection Books and periodicals tracing the development of feminist consciousness through four centuries and fifteen languages. CSCS Media and Culture Archive Full-text articles compiled by the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society in India from a wide variety of Indian news sources covering human rights, law and the media, politics, and film. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae Virtually all ancient Greek texts surviving from the period between Homer (8th century B.C.E.) and 600 C.E. and a large number of texts from between 600 and 1453. *Great Pianists of the 20th Century* Historic recordings on 200 CDs. (From the Tufts Library Catalog, search by title for a full listing.) Return to Contents New Instruction Librarian Tisch Library welcomes Anna Neatrour to its staff. Anna, who comes to us from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, has joined the Tisch Reference and Collections Department as First-Year Library Instruction Librarian. Anna's B.A. degree is from Kalamazoo College, where she majored in English with a minor in Japanese. Her M.S. degree in library science was obtained from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2000. Her work as Instruction Librarian at the University of Utah involved coordinating library instruction for the university writing program's required undergraduate course, experience that will be directly applicable to her position here. She also taught classes on software applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, FrontPage, and Dreamweaver and on Web page design principles. Return to Contents First-Year Library Instruction Program Revamped The Library's relationship with the First-Year Writing Program has always been a strong one, built on the shared acknowledgement of the importance of developing students' skills in seeking, using, and evaluating information early in their college careers. Over the past two years, in consultation with first-year writing instructors, we adapted the Association of College and Research Libraries' Information Literacy Competency Standards (see below) to develop a new skills- and outcomes- based library instruction program for first-year students. In Fall 2001, the new program was tested by six sections of English 1, taught by instructors Jean Herbert, Elizabeth Leavell, Amber Mugford, Jan Swafford, Ted Weesner and Carol Whitney. Instructors, students and participating librarians offered much useful feedback that was used to modify the pilot program. Snapshot of Fall 2002 Program: Prior to attending a class session with a librarian, students will complete a self-guided tour of the library, which will also serve to introduce them to the Tufts Library Catalog. Because there is no mandatory tour during first-year orientation, the tour should help students, as many of them requested, find their way around the building. They will be asked to look up four different types of sources on a common subject: a reference book, circulating book, periodical article, and video, to go to the shelves where these sources are located, and to answer questions about them, as well as about their records in the catalog. Students will return their completed tour worksheets to their instructor, who can review and then forward them to the librarian who will meet that class of students in the library. During the visit, using a variety of methods, the librarian will cover important aspects of information seeking skills: Awareness of the variety of information formats available Keyword and Boolean search techniques Library of Congress call number system. Evaluations of the pilot programs brought two other concerns to the fore: students want livelier sessions and more hands-on practice time. To address these valid concerns, we have arranged for active learning and at least ten minutes of practice. At the end of the session students will begin to work on a research paper worksheet, for which they should now be better prepared, that will be turned in to their instructor. During English 1 sessions, we will emphasize how to find information in the Tufts libraries through the catalog and InfoTrac, a collection of databases including, in particular, the Expanded Academic ASAP, an excellent interdisciplinary database for periodical articles. During English 2 sessions, our focus will shift toward the importance of evaluating information. The most successful projects have great advisors, and we would like to acknowledge the encouragement, support and guidance of Elizabeth Ammons, Director of the First-Year Writing Program. If you would like more information about this new program, including how to modify it for other disciplines, please contact Laurie Sabol, instruction coordinator, at 617-5167. ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed. The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently. The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system. The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally. Return to Contents Advance Notice: Free Printing to End in January Beginning this spring semester the Tisch Library, like all the Tufts libraries and computer labs, will charge users to print from the public computers. This change is necessitated by the increased cost for the library of supplying "free printing," the ongoing shift from print to electronic resources, and the desire to reduce the amount of printing that is not picked up, as well as competing demands on the library's budget. Return to Contents Finding Out What's New The News Exhibits & Events link makes it easy to keep current with the latest library information, including ways to learn about the library. Since it is especially important not to miss anything at the start of a year (or any time), be sure to make, and keep making, that connection. Also, remember that the library staff who are always glad to see you enter and make use of the library will welcome every chance to keep you up to date! Return to Contents BiblioTech Connections is published three times a year: in the fall, winter, and spring. It is made available in print form as well as via the Web. Contributors to this issue: Richard Heckbert, Jr. Edward Oberholtzer Laura Walters Laurie Sabol Editor: Margaret Gooch Return to Top
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