...we have workshop recordings!
Here are recordings of two recent events.
Current & Future Publishing Practices
Recently in General Category
On Monday I met with the new graduate students and gave a short presentation highlighting the services and collections offered by the library.
If you interested to see (or review) what was covered you can access the PowerPoint Presentation here:
Here are all the links that I mentioned in the presentation:
- University Libraries Website
- Science and Engineering Library Website
- Civil Engineering Resources
- Library Tools and Widgets
- Google Scholar
- Google Books
- InterLibrary Loan
- Workshop Registration
- RefWorks
Also if you want a refresher on connecting Google Scholar to U of M Library Resources you can find that information on the Orientation Handout.
The University Libraries are hosting an exhibit, "Below the Surface". The centerpiece of the exhibit is over at Andersen Library highlighting artifacts from their caverns that are literally below the surface of earth...built underneath Andersen Library.
But other libraries around campus are also hosting their own exhibits and displays highlighting the hidden stories behind their collections. The Science and Engineering Library has put up a virtual display featuring all of the types of information that lie behind or are impacted by a famous invention...using the work of famous U of M Mechanical Engineering Professor James "Crash" Ryan on the retractable safety belt as its focus.
Please visit the Science and Engineering Library exhibit and let us know what you think!
Just a heads up that there is going to be a major systems downtime this weekend. The downtime is needed for "a necessary upgrade to the utility and emergency power provided to the University's WBOB Data Center."
To find out which library services will be affected please check out the downtime website.
You'll want to plan accordingly if you were planning to use affected library resources this weekend.
Sorry for the inconvenience. Please pass along the information to colleagues and students.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
MNCat User Survey
The Libraries would like your feedback on our online catalog MNCat! If you've used this resource to find out book or journal information please take a minute or two to let us know what you think.
You can take the survey here.
Open Access Week 2009
October 19-23 is Open Access Week 2009. To find out more about open access, your rights as an author, and how we're celebrating visit our website.
The Libraries are always happy to talk with you about your rights as an author and how you can go about retaining those rights. If you have any questions about open access feel free to send me an email and I can talk to you or put you in touch with our experts!
Formatting You Dissertation in Word 2007: The Online Experience
Engineering Librarian Jan Fransen offers a popular workshop on formatting your dissertation--it often fills up very quickly. To help make the information more widely available Jan has put recordings of the class online. You can access the recordings here. Jan has also written the class up in Moodle.
Please note that we have many workshops available in an online format. If you'd like to see a tutorial on a topic that isn't currently represented--we'd like to know what you're interested in learning more about.
Here are some news on tools that may help you in your academic research.
Science Browser Search
Deep Web Technologies has written a blog post about new science search portals that you can add to your browsers search bar.
Now along with Google and Wikipedia you can harness the power of multiple science search portals. The blog links to search plug-ins for the following resources:
- World Wide Science Alliance
- Science.gov
- ScienceResearch.com
- Mednar
- E-Print Network
- Scitopia.org
- Scirus
Public Speaking Tutorials
The National Science Foundation funded these instructional videos "to improve the oral communication skills of undergraduate mathematics and related STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students."
The videos are broken up into three main areas
The first video illustrates a public speaking error and the second video shows a more polished product.
EndNote X3
For EndNote users out there, Thomson Scientific recently announced that EndNote X3 will be released soon. If you want to see what's changing you can view this informational video.
Are you looking for some thought-provoking reads to while away the summer hours? Would you like to have an opportunity for an informal discussion of science related topics?
You may be interested in the Big Bang Book Club it's co-sponsored by Magers & Quinn Booksellers; Secrets of the City; Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy; and Grumpy's.
They meet the fourth Tuesday of every month at Grumpy's Bar & Grill (1111 Washington Av. S. Minneapolis) from 7-9.
This month (June 23) they're reading Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Stephen Johnson.
UM TC Wilson Library (RC133.G6 J64 2006)
Here are the books they've got coming up in the near future:
July 28: My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
August 25: Black Hole War: My Battle With Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics by Leonard Susskind
UM TC Walter Sci/Eng Library Books (Level F) (QC174.12 .S896 2008)
September 22: 13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks
October 27: Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life by Carl Zimmer
UM TC Magrath (QR82.E6 Z56 2008)
I think it sounds like an interesting list of books...
You may be interested in the Big Bang Book Club it's co-sponsored by Magers & Quinn Booksellers; Secrets of the City; Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy; and Grumpy's.
They meet the fourth Tuesday of every month at Grumpy's Bar & Grill (1111 Washington Av. S. Minneapolis) from 7-9.
This month (June 23) they're reading Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Stephen Johnson.
UM TC Wilson Library (RC133.G6 J64 2006)
Here are the books they've got coming up in the near future:
July 28: My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
August 25: Black Hole War: My Battle With Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics by Leonard Susskind
UM TC Walter Sci/Eng Library Books (Level F) (QC174.12 .S896 2008)
September 22: 13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks
October 27: Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life by Carl Zimmer
UM TC Magrath (QR82.E6 Z56 2008)
I think it sounds like an interesting list of books...
(Image from CarbonNYC via Flickr. CC).
Congratulations Biomedical Engineering Graduates!
Good luck to everyone finishing up their projects and finals as well!
If you're looking for a Commencement Day event Walter Library is hosting SCImagine today (May 8). Here are the details:
SCImagine: Solar House on the Prairie
Walter Library 101
Friday, May 8
3:00-4:30
Light Refreshments will be served.
(This image comes from World Economic Forum via Flickr. CC)
Although neither Tony Blair nor Bono was able to make it to this semester's meeting, we did have an interesting IT Library Committee Meeting this past Tuesday.
We had two main points on the agenda:
1. Collection Updates -- How possible budget cuts may impact our collections.
2. The Library's Role in Supporting Teaching and Learning
If you'd like to see the minutes and/or view the presentation slides for "The Library's Role in Supporting Teaching and Learning" visit the UMN Science and Engineering Library News Page.
If you have questions or comments about the topics covered, please feel free to be in touch.
If you have problems using the form here on the blog, here's a link to the web version.
(Image from PugnoM via Flickr. CC).
The University Libraries have put together an excellent resource to inform campus authors of ways they can retain some of the rights to the scholarly articles that they publish so they can maximize the impact of their scholarly work. I encourage present and future academic authors to take a look at http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/.
Especially key is the copyright addendum that can help you to retain parts of your copyright. You often don't have to sign away all of your rights. Many publishers are receptive to sharing copyright, if you ask.
Using this copyright addendum makes doing things like placing your work in our Digital Conservancy much easier. The Conservancy provides a stable url to link others to your work and has been found to raise a work's search engine ranking, making the work more visible!
If you have questions about using the copyright addenda or you're interested in using the Digital Conservancy, send me an email.
(Image from mcclouds via Flickr. CC).
Welcome Back to the Spring 2009 Semester!
Walter Library will have reduced hours on Monday, January 19 in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The library will be open from Noon-6 pm, but the reference desk will be closed.
Starting on Tuesday we'll be back to our standard hours.
(Image from Manchester Library via Flickr. CC).
The University Libraries are looking at how researchers keep up to date with developments in their fields and how they manage the information they find. We would like your input to inform us as we develop and promote tools and services aimed at addressing these issues. We invite you to complete our survey
It should only take about 5 minutes of your time.
Please contact Jon Jeffryes (jeffryes@umn.edu) or Meghan Lafferty (mlaffert@umn.edu) with any questions.
Thank you!
Image by la vaca vegitariana via Flickr. CC.
As the finals on campus begin to end I just want to wish everyone a good and restorative winter break.
The Physical Science and Engineering Library will be open for most of break. We've got the reduced hours and schedule of closings listed on our website.
I'll be out of the office from December 24-Jan. 4--so if you have any reference questions send me an email in the next couple of days otherwise I can't guarantee that I'll see it until after the new year.
In looking ahead to January...we'll be offering a wide selection of workshops the week before classes start to get everyone back in that academic frame of mind. To see the full schedule click here
Happy Break!
Here's a selection of new books on topics concerning Biomedical Engineering that we've received at the Physical Sciences and Engineering Library. You can check their current availability using MnCat
Advancing Artificial Intelligence Through Biological Process Applications
By Ana B. Porto Pazos, et. al.
R859.7 A78 A382 2009
Computer Modeling In Bioengineering: Theoretical Background, Examples and Software
By Milos Kojic
R858 C6415 2005
Engineering Handbook of Smart Technology for Aging, Disability, and Independence
Edited by Sumi Helal, Mounir Mokhtari, and Bessam Abdulrazak
RM950 E56 2008
If there are any books that you'd like to see added to the collection, please feel free to drop me a note and I'll put them under consideration.
This week (November 23-29) the library will have reduced hours due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Image come from CarbonNYC via Flickr. CC.
The reduced hours for the Science and Engineering Library will start on Wednesday, November 26.
Wednesday, November 26: 8 am-6 pm
Thursday, November 27: Closed
Friday, November 28: Closed
Saturday, November 29: 10 am-9 pm (No reference desk staffing)
Sunday, November 30: Regular hours and services resume.
I'll be out of the office starting at Noon tomorrow returning during regular business hours on Monday. So if you have a pressing reference need, send those emails early!
If you celebrate the holiday, Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy the long weekend!
Do you use Google Scholar to find articles for your classes?
Did you know you can connect Google Scholar with the libraries online journal subscriptions to access the full text of articles that University of Minnesota Libraries subscribe to? Here’s how:
1. On Google Scholar’s homepage select “Scholar Preferences�
2. Scroll down and find “Library Links�
3. Search University of Minnesota
4. Check the box next to “University of Minnesota - FindIt@U of M Twin Cities�
5. Click “Save Preferences�
Now when you search in Google Scholar the “FindIT� link will appear and you can see the full text for free!
Remember: As faculty, staff and students of the University of Minnesota you should never pay to access an article online. If the library doesn’t have access, make an Interlibrary Loan request. Then the library will find you a copy at no extra charge.
If you have questions about connecting Google Scholar to our online resources or about placing an Interlibrary Loan request, please send me an email (jeffryes@umn.edu)
The Physical Sciences and Engineering Library is now posting library news via Twitter! Sign up to follow our tweets to learn about library news, events, and collections in an easy and unobtrusive format. You can start following our tweets here: http://twitter.com/umsciref
Here's an example of what you can learn:
If you'd like help getting started with Twitter, just let me know.
Hello! I'm the Biomedical Engineering Librarian for the Physical Sciences and Engineering Library here at the University of Minnesota. I'm hoping to use this blog as a means of making library-related news easily accessible. This blog will have a Biomedical Engineering focus--discussing issues, services, and resources related to the library.
If you want to get in touch feel free to send me an email (jeffryes@umn.edu), chat (umjonlib), call (612-625-3814), or stop by my office (Room 335 in Walter Library). I'm happy to field your questions, listen to your suggestions, and assist your research needs in any way that I can.
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