Bi-Weekly Update
11/30/12
A Trivial Report
Lurking at this year’s Library Trivia Night, Scuttlebutt was impressed by the energy and yes, competitiveness, of the 24 competing teams, with 3-6 members on a team. The teams were comprised of Muhlenberg students, with the exception of one faculty team from the Music Dept., and boasted team names like Bad Acids, Sassy-squatch, Car Ramrod, and We Rob Banks.
Kudos to the winning team Richard and the Dachers. This was their second win!
Watch for the next Trivia Night, on Feb. 20, 2013. Faculty, staff, student (or any combination thereof) teams are all warmly invited to participate. Signup will take place starting in early February. Stay tuned for more info.
Citation Tools
Scuttlebutt has observed over the years the frustration many students have in properly citing sources. Fortunately, database vendors have responded by embedding citation tools in many of the most commonly used database. Not so fortunately, these citation tools can sometimes be obscured by other database features. Here are some tips for citing from some of the most popular databases:
Ebscohost (Academic Search Premier, America History and Life, etc.)
Add items to the folder by clicking on “Add to Folder.” Click on “folder view,” select all, and then click on the email icon. Choose a citation style, type in your email address, and send. The email message will now show the item in the chosen citation style. CAUTION: Citation tools are not 100 percent accurate. Always check against a citation guide or manual.LexisNexis Academic
Click on the icon that looks like an open book, located to the right of the screen, just above the article. This is the Export Bibliographic References tool. Select a citation style, then select “Display Bibliographic Information in a new window.” Export, cut, and paste into your document. Or select other export options to download the citation to Refworks or Zotero.JSTOR
JSTOR does not have an embedded citation tool, but will export to Zotero or Refworks. Choose Export Citation, then select RIS file for Zotero, or choose Refworks.
Copyright FAQ
Scuttlebutt has compiled some of the most frequently asked questions regarding copyright in the classroom:
Can I distribute photocopies of articles in my classroom, or post those articles to Blackboard?
Fair Use allows you to make photocopies to distribute to students in the classroom, and/or post to Blackboard or Moodle (secured sites). The only limitation is that you don’t exceed 10 percent of a book, or more than one journal article from a single issue of a journal. In that event, contact Jonathan Macasevich at the library reserves office, and he’ll attempt to secure permission for you to exceed that amount. The library has some funding to pay modest copyright fees.
Can I copy from textbooks and distribute to my students?
Textbooks are a sensitive area. It is important to abide by the 10 percent rule here, as copying from textbooks directly impacts the educational market for these books. If you wish to exceed 10 percent of the total, submit a request to Jonathan Macasevich (jmacasevich@muhlenberg.edu) in the library reserves office. He can explore how much it would cost to secure permission from the publisher for you to copy more than 10 percent of the work to distribute to your students. It’s worth our asking, especially if the amount is small in relation to the whole of the work. The permissions fees can be modest.
The other option, of course, would be to ask the students to purchase the book.
What about if I want students to read chapters from a book, but am not requiring that they photocopy those pages?
As for students reading a book, and not necessarily asking them to copy it, placing the book on hard-copy library reserves is a good option.
Who can I contact on campus with copyright questions?
If you have any questions or concerns regarding copyright compliance, feel free to email the Scholarly Communication Librarian at kcannon@muhlenberg.edu.
Infomaniac
Syncing Google Scholar with Library Full Text
Have you noticed a difference searching Google Scholar from campus vs. home? If you said yes, you are not alone! The difference may well be in the amount of full text you are able to access directly from Google Scholar. On campus, you have open access to hundreds of JSTOR and Muse journals subscribed to by the library. Off campus–not so simple.
But you can make Google Scholar think you’re on campus, just by using this “proxy” link in place of the regular Google Scholar link.
Proxy: http://0-scholar.google.com.library.muhlenberg.edu
Try it. You’ll be glad you did!
Calendar
November 13: Fall Trivia Night! MC Chris Borick. Submit your team member list at the front desk of the library beginning Nov. 1 (7:30-9:30, Level A Concourse, Trexler Library).
November 29: Faculty author reception: Joe Elliott’s The Steel: Photographs of the Bethlehem Steel Plant, 1989-1996 (12:30-1:45, Fulford Room, Trexler Library).
FALL SEMESTER LIBRARY HOURS: thru Friday, December 14
Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.Exceptions:
Finals Week Hours (Library staff unavailable 3:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.)
Saturday, December 8 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Sunday, December 9 11:00 a.m. – (no close)
Monday, December 10 Open 24 Hours
Tuesday, December 11 Open 24 Hours
Wednesday, December 12 Open 24 Hours
Thursday, December 13 Open until 2:00 a.m.
Friday, December 14 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
