September 12, 2008
New Biology Library Web site coming soon!
The Biology Library is very pleased to announce that in the next few weeks we will be transitioning our Web site to the University Library’s Content Management System (CMS) platform. The CMS provides more versatility in how our Web site content is organized and navigated. We think you will find this new Biology Library Web site a welcome change! For more information about Biology Library resources, resource instruction, and other services go to the Biology Library Web site , or contact us at 333-3654 or biolib@illinois.edu.
Biology Library Guides converted to LibGuides
The Biology Library subject guides are being changed from a pdf format to a Web 2.0 content management and information sharing system called LibGuides. LibGuides allows the content to be organized in many different ways utilizing tabular structure, modules, and other editorial features to provide a very usable frame to hang our content on. Additionally there are many Web 2.0 opportunities to take advantage of such as integration of the guides into Web sites, blogs, courseware systems, Facebook, Twitter, and Del.icio.us and more. Most subject guides are converted but there are still a few to go, and other guides are being considered for conversion. Check out our newly converted subject guides. If you have an interest in any of these possibilities for using our LibGuides, just let us know.
Easy Search now has Life Sciences subset.
The University Easy Search search tool is proving to be a very popular destination to locate information from Library resources as well as resources outside the Library. The default Easy Search searches multi-topic article databases, the Library Online Library Catalog, the state I-Share Library Catalog, our Springer E-Books subscription, Google books, Amazon books, Google, MS Live Web, Google Scholar, and Scirus Academic Web Search – all at once!
The new Life Sciences subset searches the subject article databases Biological Abstracts, MEDLINE (via Web of Knowledge), CAB Abstracts, Food & Technology Abstracts, Zoological Abstracts, Environmental Sciences & Pollution Management, Academic Search Elite (EBSCO), Web of Science, Scopus, and Academic OneFile (InfoTrac) plus the same catalogs and Web sites as the default search.
There is also a Health Sciences subset that searches MEDLINE (via Web of Knowledge), Biological Abstracts, PsycInfo, Toxicology Abstracts, Health and Safety Science Abstracts, Physical Education Index, Social Services Abstracts, AgeLine, Alt HealthWatch, CINAHL Nursing Literature, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Scopus, and Academic Search Elite (EBSCO) plus the same catalogs and Web sites as the default search.
Caveat: Searching multiple databases at once (federated searches) cannot take advantage of many of the individual database’s features such as subject or field searching – yet – so to best take advantage of these sophisticated options, direct searches in the individual database is still the place to do this. Easy Search is available from the University Library homepage or the Easy Search homepage .
NIH Funded Research Policy
The NIH Public Access Policy requires that "all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law." (See the NIH Public Access Web site for an overview of this policy, how to comply, and other details.) The Library can assist you with copyright issues and the article submission process as well as depositing your manuscript in Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (IDEALS) , the institutional repository for the research and scholarship of faculty, staff, and students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. See the University Library’s NIH Public Access Mandate information and Guide to the NIH Public Access Mandate for details. For continuing developments in scholarly communication issues, be sure to check out to the University Library's Scholarly Communication Blog or subscribe to its RSS feed.
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Melody Allison
Assistant Biology Librarian and Associate Professor of Library Administration
Biology Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
101 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin
Urbana, IL 61801
mmalliso@illinois.edu
(217) 333-7461; 3654
Posted by mmalliso at 1:43 PM
August 22, 2007
Biology Library Fall 2006 News
New University Library Gateway coming soon ! Feedback welcome !
The University Library is evaluating a new design for its home page, which offers enhanced features and functionality. To access the test site, click http://www.library.uiuc.edu/new/ . Among the new features is a link to the search engine UIUC Library Search Assistant which performs searches across multiple Library and other electronic resources. Also departmental libraries can now be accessed by college and major via “LIBRARIES BY COLLEGE/MAJOR” as well as by departmental library name via “Find a Library”. Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and other user groups can easily find resources and services useful to their particular needs under the “Resources For” section. Faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to view the test version to explore the new look and features. Feedback can be provided by clicking on 'Gateway conversion team' at the bottom of the page. Changes in the Biology Library Web page will be made once the new University Library Gateway development is completed.
Do you know where your students are ……
…. getting their information?? According to a report by the OCLC Online Computer Library Center, a cooperative of more than 54,000 libraries, browser search engines were the first choice for information by 72% of college students in the study (Part 1-26). Are you certain that your students are using the best sources of information for their course work and research? Are you confident that they know how to use information resources effectively? We can help make sure that your students are using the best resources for their course and research information needs by:
• Providing sessions on library use and services (Online Library Catalog, how to locate library materials, borrowing, interlibrary loan, etc.)
• Presenting workshops on how to use particular databases, how to set up current awareness services to keep up-to-date on the literature, etc.
• Providing sessions on the use of library resources for reading research papers
• Formulating course, project, or research related library instruction sessions
• Assisting with research assignment development
• Creating handouts, guides, Web pages, Web tutorials, and other library research or subject related information tools
• Compiling source selections for class assignments and curriculum
• Providing sessions on information sources that are useful to laboratory classes
• Designing customized print and Web resources for a specific class, project, or subject area
• Presenting new faculty workshops
• Presenting new graduate student workshops
Schedule an information resources instruction session today by filling out the Instruction Request Form , or contacting Melody Allison, Assistant Biology Librarian, at mmalliso@uiuc.edu.
Biology Library Guides
We have several Library orientation, database, subject, and other guides that will help you make the most of out resources. There is a wealth of information in these tools to help you make the most efficient and effective use of the Library’s great variety of information and research resources and services. The only way to get more details is through an information instruction session (see previous item)!
Our orientation guides provide basic information about the Biology Library and its resources and services. Guide to Campus Resources for New SOLS Faculty and Guide to Campus Resources for Students deliver information about the Biology Library and its resources and services; BioBlog; University Library; departmental libraries; the I-Go Library Toolbar; RefWorks; campus academic information; and general information useful for new (and not-so-new! ) faculty, students, and employees.
There are database guides for major life sciences bibliographic databases (Biological Abstracts, Current Contents, PubMed, Science Citation Index, and Zoological Record) with links to vendor guides and tutorials for further enlightenment. The Electronic Resources at the Biology Library guide gives a brief introduction to two dozen bibliographic databases which may be of interest to life sciences researchers.
There are general guides on several topics such as how to locate materials in the Biology Library; how to locate books, journals, and series; and how to locate dissertations and conference proceedings, along with links to information about RefWorks and the Library Discover tool. Our Web site Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page provides detailed information on finding journals and journal articles, finding books and other materials, using and creating course reserves, and Biology Library services.
Subject guides provide titles of core reference titles, including indexes & abstracts, protocols & methods, and journal titles, for various topic areas.
Two other guides that are useful for any one doing research are the Journal Resources and Research Resources pages. The Journal Resources page links you to information about the Online Research Resources database, journal abbreviations and acronym tools, serials lists for major bibliographic databases, citation format resources, RefWorks and Endnote, and other information related to journal use. The Research Resources page links you to UIUC and other sources of information about academic integrity, intellectual freedom, copyright, ethics, plagiarism, research process, etc.
As our access to electronic resources grows, so do challenges in accessing them. This is true for our growing collection of e-books. Two new guides will help you in this endeavor. Electronic Book Resources at the Biology Library will inform you about various e-book collections our patrons have access to as well as several reference e-books of interest in the life sciences. Retrieving Articles at University Library will help you understand the ways that journal articles may be found using our various resources.
“Librarian Office Calls” for SOLS Faculty
Are there occasions when you would like to learn more about your favorite database, but just haven’t had the time to grapple with all the new nuances? Or maybe you would like to get out of your comfort zone and get acquainted with a bibliographic database that you are not familiar with? Or perhaps you want to begin to use a research tool, like RefWorks, that is new to you?
The Biology Library is piloting a new service for SOLS faculty called “Librarian Office Calls.” You can schedule a librarian to come to provide personalized instruction about library resources to enhance your course and research activities in the convenience of your own campus office (Burrill Hall or Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory). Schedule a “Librarian Office Call” today by filling out the Instruction Request Form , or contacting Melody Allison, Assistant Biology Librarian, at mmalliso@uiuc.edu.
Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (IDEALS)
The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (IDEALS) is a set of collections and related services that together constitute the campus institutional repository. IDEALS preserves and provides persistent and reliable access to the digital scholarship of faculty, staff, and students and aims to provide the greatest dissemination and recognition to these works as possible. Offered through the University Library and CITES under sponsorship of the Office of the Provost, IDEALS is now open for deposit! For more information, contact Sarah Shreeves, IDEALS Coordinator, at sshreeve@uiuc.edu.
UI Now has University Library News
Get the latest News from the University Library via UI Now, the place to get the news and feature stories on campus activities. You may subscribe to the Library news via a RSS feed (requires a reader) and get the news as soon as it is available. Learn more about RSS feeds at the Scholarly Communication blog and RSS on Wikipedia.
New ISI Web of Knowledge Interface Coming Soon
Thomson Scientific’s ISI Web of Knowledge interface is changing, and will formally be released sometime this fall. Until then, access to Science Citation Index (Web of Science), Biological Abstracts, Journal Citation Reports, and other databases we get through Thomson Scientific will remain with the current platform. You may access the new version in the current version through a link in the title bar.
Among the changes is the replacement of the “CrossSearch” by the “All Databases” search, which allows you to:
• Search across all ISI Web of Knowledge databases our institution subscribes to
• Retrieve up to 100,000 results, automatically sorted by the journal cover publication date
• Easily refine and analyze your search results
You will also see is a change in how your search terms are entered. The new version has three “Search for” boxes with search field options that can be combined with Boolean operators. Additional “Search for” boxes can be added with a simple click.
See http://isiwebofknowledge.com/currentuser_wokhome/cu_new/newface/ for more information about the new interface. For a short tutorial click see http://www.brainshark.com/thomsonscientific/newwokintro .
Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology trial in progress
Trial access for Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology (CPSC) will continue through 12/31/07. CPSC covers protocols and methods for embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells as swell as genetic manipulation of stem cells. CPSC is published in affiliation with the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). Please email comments or questions using the form at http://www.library.uiuc.edu/mailform/mail.php?emailcode=ersupport.
For a short tutorial click see http://www.brainshark.com/thomsonscientific/newwokintro .
Chicago Manual of Style Online
Good news from the spring is worth repeating. The Chicago Manual of Style is available electronically. We look forward to electronic versions of other format style manuals as they become available. Will keep you posted.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions at mmalliso@uiuc.edu.
Have great Fall semester.
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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 4:31 PM
January 13, 2006
Welcome to BioBlog
BioBlog is a news venue produced by the Biology Library. Information about library resources, services, instruction sessions, collections, databases, and other related news topics will be centralized here. You may visit this blog via our URL or through its RSS feed. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments at biolib@uiuc.edu.
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 4:17 PM