Coming Soon: Searching Made Easy September 23, 2008
Posted by enewberr in : FYI , add a commentSomething new and pretty cool is going to be available next month on the Thompson Library website. It’s something called federated searching. What is that, you may ask? It may just become your best friend when trying to locate articles for research papers. It is a new way to browse our electronic resources and search several preselected databases simultaneously. In the past each database would have had to be searched separately, which could be frustrating and time consuming. Now with a couple of clicks and some typing you can retrieve a bunch of great articles to browse, with a lot of them being in full text format. If you are not very familiar with the content of different databases, this is a great way to see what kinds of articles they contain. This search feature also allows you to select your own list of databases, if you prefer to streamline your search.
For the time being we are calling it EZSearch. If you’d like to try it out, we have it posted on a test page. It is a prototype for what the homepage will look like once we add it. Go to the test page and scroll down to near the bottom. There should be a new search box that says “EZSearch.” Give it a shot. The best way to learn what it can to is to play around with it. It will hopefully go live officially in the beginning part of October, and we’d love some input about it before then. Let us know what you think. If you’ve had problems with it, if you’ve got suggestions for its content, or even if you’d like to suggest a permanent name, let us know! Email the Thompson Library webmaster Paul Streby, or just stop by the reference desk and tell us in person. We’d also be happy to walk you through it if you’re having trouble.
RefWorks Trial Access - Check It Out September 23, 2008
Posted by Paul Streby in : FYI , add a commentNow through October 24, 2008, UM-Flint has trial access to RefWorks. You can use it to create your own personal database, import references from Thompson Library databases, share information, automatically format papers and bibliographies, and lots more. Set up an individual account the first time you use it, and you’re good to go!
Please send comments directly to me at pgstreby@umflint.edu.
New to the game? Me too! September 22, 2008
Posted by enewberr in : FYI , add a commentHi! My name is Emily Newberry. I’m spending this semester interning at the Thompson Library. I’m currently in school at U of M-Ann Arbor to get my Master’s Degree to become a librarian. I live in Flint, I love Flint, and am so happy to be able to work at U of M-Flint’s Library. I went here for my undergraduate work and graduated in 2003. I got Bachelor’s Degrees in both Biology and Anthropology. I’ve missed being here!
Ok, with that said, it’s been a while since I’ve been in the Library here and I need to refamiliarize myself with everything. A lot has changed, especially with electronic resources. Maybe you can identify. Maybe it’s your first semester after High School, and you’ve never really been exposed to the amount of resources available here. Or maybe you’ve been out of school for 20 years and are just now returning. I’m sure you may be overwhelmed, no matter who you are. Well don’t feel bad. Even those of us who are studying to do this kind of thing for a living can feel overwhelmed with all that’s out there! I hope that you will use the library and all the great resources there. The people who work here are all really friendly and willing to help.
I hope you will find this post helpful or even comforting, knowing that you’re not the only one out there “learning the ropes.” If you have questions or comments, I’d love to help out, because we can both learn something that way. Stop in and say “HI!” I’ll be here every Monday and Tuesday.
“Let’s Roll.”: 9/11 Materials in the Thompson Library September 11, 2008
Posted by Paul Streby in : Reviews , add a commentAnniversaries are often times of recollection and reflection. As we commemorate the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, you may find yourself remembering where you were when you first heard about some planes crashing. I was in my office; my wife Kim called and told me that an airplane had smashed into the World Trade Center. I said it might have been an accident, but when she called back and told me about the second tower being hit, my hope vanished that it was simply a terrible mishap. Kim was a month pregnant with our firstborn son Ronan, and I wondered what sort of world we were bringing a child into.
As you reflect on the September 11 attacks and their consequences, I invite you to use the resources of the Thompson Library to deepen your knowledge and understanding. The Thompson Library has a number of books and videos about that horrible day and its long aftermath. Whether you are looking for accounts of the attacks themselves, analyses of their causes, or interpretations of their significance today, there are materials here that you can use.
One personal recommendation: the film United 93, about the passengers who rose up and fought their hijackers, literally to the death. It’s not easy to watch, but it’s one of the most riveting action movies I’ve ever seen. I hate calling it an “action movie,” because it is infinitely better than 99% of the explosion-packed fluff that comes out of Hollywood, but I don’t know what other genre it would fall into. It successfully conveys the confusing situation decision-makers on the ground found themselves in, and the courage and will to survive of the passengers in the air. The implicit deal in hijackings had been that if you cooperated with the terrorists, you’d get out alive. Once the passengers on United flight 93 learned that their captors weren’t going to keep their end of this wicked bargain, they knew they had to act. All civilized people owe respect and gratitude to these passengers - ordinary people - who refused to be passive victims.
Previously posted September 10, 2007.