RefWorks is a simple-to-use online citation manager that captures, organizes, stores, shares, cites, and manipulates information generated by multiple sources.

RefWorks 2.0 is a new, user-friendly interface that functions the same way as the current iteration (now branded as "RefWorks Classic").

When you log into your RefWorks account, you'll notice that a new RefWorks 2.0 button/link has been added to the main toolbar:

If you currently have a RefWorks account, you have the option to upgrade your account to the new 2.0 version by clicking the link in the upper-right corner of your RefWorks page that you see illustrated above.

All RefWorks accounts will default to the 2.0 interface by the start of the fall semester.

Another new features is RefShare, which allows you to share your RefWorks folders with collaborators both inside and outside of the University.

Select the Share tab from the main RefWorks 2.0 page to start sharing your folders.

For more information on using RefWorks 2.0, please see these resources:

Tutorials from RefWorks
Handouts from University Libraries (requires logging in to Moodle)
Upcoming workshops from University Libraries

Posted by Marlo Welshons at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University Libraries' Plant Information Online, one of the world's largest resources for botanical and horticultural information, has been selected as one of the MARS Best Free Reference Web Sites of 2011. MARS is the "MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference" section of the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association (ALA).

Voted for by member librarians from around the United States, Plant Information Online is one of 25 web pages to be recognized by MARS this year as an outstanding site for reference information and is included in the list of MARS Best of Free Reference Web Sites of 2011.

Plant Information Online offers a collection of databases of interest to plant and gardening enthusiasts and students, as well as professional botanists, horticulturists, and researchers. Some of the databases have been available in print since 1979 and online through paid subscription since 1997. The whole site is now available free to the general public.

Posted by Timothy Cronin at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This month, eleven area high school sophomores and juniors will be participating in the Summer History Immersion Program, an in-depth historical research and college immersion experience at the University of Minnesota. The students are delving into the history of the YMCA, whose archives are housed in Andersen Library.

At the conclusion of the two week program, the young scholars will present posters based on their original research at a showcase scheduled for Monday, June 27, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in 120 Andersen Library.

Modeled after National History Day, the program aims to cultivate an interest in history by engaging students in college-level work while also introducing them to life on a university campus. Along with the Minnesota Historical Society and the University Libraries' Archives and Special Collections unit, staff at Wilson Library, Minitex, the Immigration History Research Center, the University YMCA, One Stop, are contributing to the project for its pilot year.

Posted by Marlo Welshons at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The history of what was once the University Gallery and is now the internationally known, Frank Gehry-designed Weisman Art Museum; the papers of renowned plant pathologist and humanitarian Norman Borlaug; archival materials documenting the history of agriculture in Minnesota; the development of health sciences education and research at the University of Minnesota. Researchers interested in these topics will soon have improved access to primary sources thanks to a flurry of projects in University Archives this past year.

Since October 2010, the Weisman Art Museum has been closed to the public while a $14 million expansion is completed. In the meantime, another construction project has been underway: "The WAM Files" blog highlights the treasures uncovered as the Weisman Archives are being processed by two graduate student interns.

"Five students were hit by autos, six were bitten by squirrels on campus last year" are two highlights from a 1971 report from the Students' Health Service, one of thousands of items digitized for the Academic Health Center History Project.

The "Planting the Seeds of the Green Revolution" project aims to digitize fifty-eight boxes of material including those donated by Borlaug, who won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his development of the high-yield, disease-resistant wheat credited with saving billions of people from starvation. "Harvesting Minnesota's Agricultural History" will create online finding aids to help researchers locate and access the previously unprocessed agricultural collections held by University Archives from 1871 to the present.

Learn more about each project on the University Archives website.

Posted by Marlo Welshons at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)