BioBlog

Do you use Illinois Compass (IC) courseware? Or if you don’t, have you thought about using it? Here’s a great reason to try it. Biology Library resources can be accessed right in your IC course space where you and your students have your course materials. Perhaps you also take advantage of the chat, discussion, and other features. Your librarian can join you there!

Please join Lori Mestre, Digital Learning Librarian, and myself for a brown bag sponsored by CITES Educational Technologies where we will show you how library information and resources can be accessed from within your current or future Illinois Compass space. Yours truly has created a Biology Library space with modules that can bring our many resources right to the space where your course works. This is a great time to give Illinois Compass a try, using whatever features you like for your IC course – even just try IC for the Biology Library space feature!

For more information about this brown bag and to register, see http://edtech.cites.uiuc.edu/event/eachEvent.html?id=135

For information about IC training, see http://www.cites.uiuc.edu/edtech/training/index.html

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Melody Allison
Assistant Biology Librarian and Assistant Professor of Library Administration
Biology Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
101 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-7461; 3654

Posted by mmalliso at 5:39 PM

RefWorks Basic Workshop for Biology Graduate Students

Learn how to use RefWorks, a citation management software program. This workshop will cover the basics: how to access RefWorks, search catalogs, import references from library databases, retrieve and manage citations, create bibliographies according to various citation styles (e.g. MLA or APA) and use Write-N-Cite to add parenthetical references to your work. This is a free program offered by the Library and CITES and is an alternative to EndNotes. For more information about RefWorks see: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/refworks/

Date: Thursday, March 15
Time: 2:30-4:00
Location: Undergrad Library 291

*Pre-registration required /* *Space is limited *
Sign up at: http://130.126.32.16/evanced/lib0/eventcalendar.asp

*Note:* Additional sessions may be created for faculty and staff.

Contact Merinda Kaye Hensley, Instructional Services Librarian, Reference Library, mhensle1@uiuc.edu, for more details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melody Allison
Assistant Biology Librarian and Assistant Professor of Library Administration
Biology Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
101 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-7461; 3654

Posted by mmalliso at 10:22 AM

February 16, 2007

Biology Library Announces Pilot Instant Messager Reference Project

The Biology Library is doing a pilot Instant Messager (IM) reference project now through Friday, April 13, 2007. Library users who have IM accounts with AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo! Messenger, and MSN Messenger can get IM chat help from Biology Library staff. Our Screen Name for all three IM services is uiuclifescilib. You may IM us during the following times:

IM Hours

Tuesday: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Wednesday: 9:00am - 12:00pm

Friday: 11:00am - 3:00pm

Note: The Library Privacy Policy for chat and IM service can be found at http://www.library.uiuc.edu/askus/privacy.htm

For more information about IM and other ways to get librarian assistance, see Biology Library Ask-A-Librarian Web page as well as project Web page .

We will also be doing a pilot Web based chat reference service to begin in the next few weeks. Please let us know how you like them! Contact Melody Allison, Assistant Biology Librarian, at mmalliso@uiuc.edu or 3-3654 with any questions or comments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melody Allison
Assistant Biology Librarian and Assistant Professor of Library Administration
Biology Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
101 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-7461; 3654

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary."
-- James Madison

Posted by mmalliso at 1:31 PM

February 5, 2007

Biology Library Notes: University Library Spring 2007 Media Competition

Announcing the Spring 2007 competition for purchasing media materials that cost more than $100.00 which will be purchased on the designated Library media fund. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 2nd. Top priority is given to faculty requests for material to be shown in class and that are interdisciplinary in nature.

All requests must meet the following basic requirements:

1. The educational level of the materials must be identified as College Level.
2. Commercially available non-print items will be funded only when the Library will be the clear and permanent owner of the piece(s). Those items purchased are housed in the Undergraduate Library media collection for maximum accessibility.
3. Items must be reasonably priced with a content appropriate to the format. Thorough justification of higher priced items will be required.
4. Requests must be prioritized in order to be considered.

Requests are ranked for funding utilizing the following guidelines:

1. Is there a commitment from teaching faculty to utilize the item(s) in classroom instruction?
2. Is the item in an area of collection where a demonstrated need for non-print resources exists? Will it help to create a balanced and representative non-print collection?
3. Is there a possibility of cooperative funding?

Sort your proposed selections by priority. Include title and notes, format, vendor, price, requesting faculty name and email, and course(s) for which the selection(s) will be used. Attach ordering information, reviews, or other pertinent information, if available. Please send Melody Allison, Assistant Biology Librarian, this information as email attachments, if possible. The Library's Collection Development Committee (CDC) Non-Print Subcommittee will be reviewing and determining those selections that will be funded sometime in March and will follow with list of funded titles.

Melody Allison
Assistant Biology Librarian and Assistant Professor of Library Administration
Biology Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
101 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-7461; 3654
mmalliso@uiuc.edu

Posted by mmalliso at 3:37 PM